One of the most memorable moments of the season came during the trophy ceremony in Umag, where Alexei Popyrin defeated three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka in the final. Wawrinka was so close to claiming his first ATP Tour trophy since 2017, but was unable to finish off Popyrin.
During his remarks to the crowd, the Swiss was reduced to tears.
“Guys, thank you so much,” Wawrinka said. “I know it’s so stupid to cry, but I love this sport so much and you make it really special.”
Two weeks later, the 38-year-old is back in action at the Western & Southern Open, where he upset 2022 US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe to reach the third round. The former World No. 3 has fond memories of his emotional moment in Croatia.
“It was great. It’s always good to play a final,” Wawrinka told ATPTour.com. “Of course, I’m disappointed and sad to have lost the final. You always want to win the final, but it was a good tournament. Good to be back [playing] on a Sunday of the tournament. And again, things keep going. Now I’m in Cincinnati and I’m happy to play in America.”
Wawrinka is back in the Top 50 of the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings at No. 47 and has earned wins this year against stars including Holger Rune, Andy Murray and now Tiafoe.
The Swiss has earned 16 tour-level titles and 563 wins over the course of his career, but injuries have set him back in recent years. At the start of the season, Wawrinka was World No. 148 and one year ago he was outside the Top 300.
Not only has the Lausanne native needed to rehab his body, but also his confidence.
“I think it’s a bit of both. In tennis, it’s a big puzzle,” Wawrinka said. “You have the fitness side, you have the tennis side, you have the mental side too and everything has to be together. You have to push yourself every day to improve.
“I’ve been pushing myself to keep trying to improve and I’m finally playing better, winning matches and hopefully I can keep going.”
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Fans flocked to Grandstand to watch Wawrinka play some of his best tennis against 10th seed Tiafoe in the final men’s match Wednesday evening. The crowd was so packed, some people stood in nearby staircases to catch a glimpse of the action.
“It’s amazing. That’s one of the main reasons why I keep playing,” Wawrinka said. “It’s always special. Yesterday night there were a lot of people at the match and also it’s great for me, I’m super happy with that.”