Stan Wawrinka is pleased that he has already clinched a spot in the ATP World Tour Finals, but admits that he felt pressure in Basel this week, where he lost his opening match. The Swiss, ranked No. 4, has been sliding of late, losing opening-round matches in his last three tournaments to Mikhail Kukushkin (Basel), Gilles Simon (Shanghai), and Tatsuma Ito (Tokyo).
“For me, it’s like Gstaad, I’m too nervous, I’m tight. I think too much about what to do in the match, and I always make a bad choice,” Wawrinka said. “But that’s life, and I have to accept that. So far, it’s my best year and I’m quite happy with the year I’ve had. It was just a bad day.”
Wawrinka is scheduled to play the Paris Masters, the ATP World Tour Finals in London, and also the Davis Cup final, where Switzerland will travel to France.
“There is always pressure; I always put pressure on myself, want to do well, always want to play well,” Wawrinka said. “I didn’t play great at all in Asia. Twice I lost in the first round, so I’m looking for my confidence to get some wins. I’m really focused…I think I had a really great week of preparation, practicing really hard with [my coach] Magnus [Norman], and I’m feeling good on the practice courts."