"There is Roger Federer's retirement; people realize that a generation is going to leave, but I'm hanging on, I don't want to leave" - Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka scored a big win in front of his home crowd on Tuesday when he defeated World No. 3 Casper Ruud in the opening round of the 2022 Swiss Indoors Open.
The win was the Swiss player's first over a top 10 opponent this year, and he was visibly emotional after that — especially given the rousing support that he received from a packed crowd comprising fans.
Acknowledging the same post his win, Wawrinka said he had never felt such support. Referring to the apparent change of guard from the old warhorses to the Next Gen, he said people are beginning to realize the shift even more ever since Roger Federer's retirement.
The three-time Grand Slam winner, however, was quick to add that even though it felt like an entire generation was on its way out after Federer's retirement, he had no imminent plans of hanging up his tennis racket just yet.
"I had never felt such support," Wawrinka said, adding, "The public supported me, it was strong. I don't quite know how to explain it. There is Roger's retirement, the fact that I hadn't played in Switzerland for a long time. People realize that a generation is going to leave. But I'm hanging on, I don't want to leave."
🙃Swiss bliss 🇨🇭🙃
The home fans loved seeing Stan The Man roll back the years 6-4 6-4 against Ruud
@stanwawrinka | #SwissIndoorsBasel https://t.co/UvQQYgitp3
Stan Wawrinka reunites with former coach Magnus Norman
Stan Wawrinka also spoke about his decision to reunite with his former coach Magnus Norman — who led him to three Grand Slam titles and a career-high ranking. He said that the decision stemmed from him wanting to strike "the best possible balance" for the final chapter of his career.
The Swiss player said that Norman was someone who knew his game best, adding that he would be partnering with him during the pre-season leading up to 2023.
“There have been changes after the US Open. I decided to stop with Dani Vallverdu and, together with Magnus, we are looking for the best possible balance to write a final chapter. With Magnus, we want to finish writing our story together. Magnus is the one who knows my game the best, the one who has helped me the most in my career," Wawrinka said.
"He is the one who knows my game the best. The one who has helped me the most in my career. He will take care of the off-season and the biggest tournaments, including the Grand Slam. The rest we have to discuss,” he added.