"Achieved way more than I could have dreamed" - Stan Wawrinka shares special childhood memory, posts heartfelt message after re-entering ATP Top-100
Stan Wawrinka went down memory lane after regaining a Top-100 spot in the ATP rankings, sharing a moment of himself playing tennis as a kid and dreaming of becoming a Top-100 player. The three-time Grand Slam champion admitted that he has already achieved much more than he had dreamt of when he started playing tennis.
Wawrinka jumped to No. 97 in the ATP rankings last Monday after reaching the quarterfinals of consecutive tournaments in Rotterdam and Marseille, respectively. The 37-year-old Swiss tennis great has found his way back to the Top-100 after having fallen as low as No. 322 during his prolonged struggles due to injury and lack of form over the last couple of seasons.
Wawrinka reflected on his journey in light of the recent achievement, sharing a video of himself hitting his famous one-handed backhand as a kid, followed by another one of himself hitting a similar backhand winner a couple of weeks ago on tour. The 2016 US Open champion expressed pride as well as gratitude after re-fulfilling his dream of entering the world's Top-100.
"Work hard and follow your dreams, but never forget where you came from," Stan Wawrinka wrote on Instagram. "Young me dreaming of entering the top 100 ATP. Old me entering the top 100 ATP again!
"I achieved way more than I could have dreamed of but it’s always gonna be special!" he added.
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After a tough start to the 2023 season, during which Wawrinka and his Swiss teammates suffered a round-robin stage exit from the United Cup before he lost in the opening round of the Australian Open, the 2015 French Open champion has found form. Apart from quarterfinal runs at the ABN Amro Open in Rotterdam and Open 13 Provence in Marseille, he also played a vital role in Switzerland's Davis Cup victory against Germany that sent them into the World Group stage.
"My game is high, I believe I can beat any player" - Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka recently expressed great confidence in his game and his ability to still beat much higher-ranked players and constantly challenge for titles. Shedding light on his outlook for the 2023 season, Wawrinka stated his belief that he can beat any player on tour. However, he wants to focus on bringing more consistency into his game to be able to achieve such big results in what is set to be a long season ahead.
"My game is high, when I enter the court I believe I can beat any player in front of me," Stan Wawrinka told the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast. "Now I have to do it and I have to do it in repetition in the same week."
"But the year is long and I’m always looking for the full year, to the big picture, controlling what I can control and the matches and results will come," he added.
Wawrinka will hope to climb further up the rankings with strong performances in Indian Wells and Miami, both tournaments where has no points to defend this year. He started his 2022 season directly during the clay-court swing in late March.