Wawrinka confident of Tour Finals qualification

Beijing, Oct 2 (IANS) Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, who reached the second round at the ongoing China Open, said Wednesday that he is in a good position to qualify for the season ending ATP World Tour Finals.

“I’m eighth (in the ATP Race to London). But there’s a lot of tennis to play. There’s still a lot of points to take. I’m not thinking about that. I need to really focus on my tennis and my game, because the only thing I can really control is my game and how I practise and get ready for the tournament. That’s the most important thing for me,” said Wawrinka, who came off his first major semi-final at the US Open this season.

“It’s a dream for tennis players to finish in the top 8 and to play the ATP World Tour Finals at the end of the year,” continued Wawrinka, who is looking to qualifying for the first time. “It’s something big, something amazing, and it would be amazing for me,” he was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Wawrinka laid down an early marker in 2013 when he played a memorable fourth-round match with Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, losing 12-10 in the fifth set. The pair clashed again nine months later in the US Open semi-finals, after Wawrinka had beaten Tomas Berdych and Andy Murray. Wawrinka led by two sets to one, but Djokovic ultimately prevailed in five.

“It was a tough draw for me to get into the US Open semifinals,” said Wawrinka. “But I played my best tournament for sure. It was my first Grand Slam semifinal and it showed that my level, when I’m there, I can be really strong. I can play with the top players in the world and I hope I will have some chances to do it again. I know it will be really difficult, but I’m fighting every day for that.”