After losing his opening match in three sets to Dominic Thiem at the Madrid Open, Stanislas Wawrinka says both he and the other top players are capable of reasserting themselves during the rest of the clay season.
"It's not early at the beginning of a tournament, especially in Madrid where [the ball] flies a bit," he said afterwards. "I started well... but Dominic, he remained in the match. And I was hesistant.
"I should have been better with the opportunities I created in the third set."
The new Grand Slam champion, who also won Monte Carlo two weeks ago, said this defeat was not like his early exits following the Australian Open, where he did not compete well enough.
"I know I will not win each tournament. My tennis is still there," he said. "I did what I could."
Wawrinka agreed that while there had been some unexpected results during the start of the clay season, there will be a better measure after Rome. "If Nadal wins Madrid and beats Djokovic in the final of Rome, things will be back to normal,'' he said.