Stanislas Wawrinka interview part 1 - Talks about Federer Hingis

For many people, I'm the Swiss guy who loses

Interview by Guy Barbier.

TM: You've been victim of a serious accident on the court, on Feb 8th, before the DC 1st round between Switzerland and Spain, in Geneva. How are you?
SW: During a training session, after the draw, I indeed injured my right knee pretty seriously, on some wrong foot. I've felt the knee slip and I heard some cracking noise. The pain's been really violent, to the point it was almost a shock. I've had some medical test that said that my inside ligament was torn at 2 points. So, I've had to have surgery, on the following morning, at 11am. The surgery lasted for 2 hours. I could have avoided the surgery but it was too risky for a sportsman. It was better on the long term.

TM: How long will you be away from the court?
SW: From 10 to 12 weeks. That's of course a big disappointment. Pretty soon, I'll be able to begin my re-education in swimmingpool. That's really frustrating because I was playing well, I was climbing the rankings. That's my 1st big injury. Physically, the pain's been horrible for the first 2 days. Mentally, that's also some hardship that I'm discovering. At best, I'll be back on the tour for Rome.

TM: Did your compatriot Roger Federer send his sympathy to you?
SW: He calls me every day, even several times (smiles). That's nice.

TM: You're the Swiss n°2 and then, n°2 to the world n°1 Roger Federer. Mustn't be easy to catch some light in such circumstances....
SW: No, that's not really easy. But, as in everything, there's a positive side as well as some negative one. Thanks to him, there's some huge interest in tennis in Switzerland. And me, I have that luck to know him very well now. We're buddies, we can say so. If I need advice, he's always there for me. I know his phone is always turned on and that's precious. Consulting the World n°1, not everybody can do that!! So, imagine being able to do it regularly.......(smiles)

TM: But in the Swiss press, it's bound to be less space for you, all the more now that Martina Hingis also makes the headlines. How do you live this situation?
SW: It's true he gives the impression to take all the place and that's of course the case. As he wins almost all the time, for many people, I'm a bit the Swiss guy who loses (smiles). But when it comes to the media, I'm also the Swiss who stays accessible as, unlike Roger, I don't have many international journalists interested in me (smiles).

TM: His presence isn't too heavy then?
SW: No. The aura of a champion like Federer is even protective for me. I grow up, quietly in his shadow, without big pressure on my shoulders. If you have a look at my ranking evolution, you'll see that I've always had a very regular progression, even a quiet one.

TM: But you're ambitious, despite Federer....
SW: Yes I am ambitious. I've always had my line. I know what I want and I know where I'm going. But he protects me, it's true. I move forward, step by step, without making too much noise.

TM: When we interview Swiss journalists about you, it's always the same words that come along: discreet, shy....Are they right to qualify you that way?
SW: Yes they are (smiles). I'm not somebody who likes to put oneself into the light. I'm pretty reserved, a bit in my corner, in my small stuff. When I was younger, I was very shy, it's true. But I have the feeling I have improved myself on that regard, I have more self confidence.

TM: This exercise of the interview, for instance, is it demanding? During the AO, before your match against Rafael Nadal, we could feel you were extremely defensive while facing the Swiss media.....
SW: The 1st times have been very tough. But it remains sort of excercise and I think it's gonna be this way because of my very reserved personality. It's never easy for me to express myself in front of a lot of people, even if, I repeat it, I think I've improved a lot on that regard (smiles).

TM: Is there a big difference between the guy in its life and the guy on the court?
SW: No, there's some similarity. On the court, I don't play a game. I try to be as natural as possible. Like in my life, I try to be quiet and not show my emotions to the one facing me. Quiet, discreet, peacefull, shy, those are really words that suit me (smiles). And also will, yes, the will.....

TM: We feel a lot of demand...
SW: Yes, I ask a lot from myself. Sometimes too much (smiles). I'm very perfectionist, it's true. On the court, I can hurt myself "inside" because I can't hit properly, and this, in a match as well as during trainings.

TM: But, as we say, you never go crazy?
SW: No, I hurt myself inside and I take everything on me. I must have broken 3 rackets last year, 1 a bit silly when training (smiles). When I have a problem, I try to solve it by myself. I keep all in me and it's true it's not necessarily the solution. I should talk more about how I feel. I try to work on that too.

TM: Without mental coach?
SW: Without mental coach. At the moment, my progress's been stopped. And I don't see any reason to add one more person to the team.

TM: You've said it yourself, your career's known a rising pattern and your ranking today allows you to live some great moments. You've already played on the Center Courts of Wimbledon, in Melbourne, on the Suzanne Lenglen in Roland Garros. How do you feel that powerfull rising?
SW: That's something I've always dreamed of. I love it when there's crowd. That's to live such moments that I train hard. I'm calm. As I've said, I didn't have an up & down career. All's been very regular so far. And the only time I've had doubts concerning tennis was when I was 12, 4 years after I started to play.

TM: What happened when you were 12?
SW: I had a friend who wanted to play basketball. So I had the idea to imitate him (smiles). But my parents, who wished a certain balance through sport practise, have told me to keep on what I had started.

TM: And you made the choice to quit school very young, at 15, so that you could devote yourself to your sport....
SW: As my school refused to allow me particular times to train more, I've been bound to make this decision. But I didn't quit totally from school as I've kept on my studies thanks to the CNED, which is a French organization. It hasn't been very easy to work alone at home, but I've resisted for several years. With always the same rhythm: 8am-10am: studies. 10am-noon: tennis. 14pm-16pm: tennis. 16pm-18pm: studies.

TM: Who was keeping an eye on you?
SW: My parents, though they didn't need to look much after me, as I was very strict in what I was doing. Otherwise, there was my coach who's still with me today, Dimitri Zavialoff.

TM: At no time you were part of the Swiss training system?
SW: Never. When they offered it, I had already accomplished some good work with my private coach. It was a bit late. I've decided I had more chances to progress thanks to him than to them. It wasn't worth it.

TM: Dimitri Zavialoff is French, from Colmar. How did he enter your personal life?
SW: Our families knew each other for long. His parents and mine were close since they were very young. In fact, they had been seeing each other since they were kids. He had a try in tennis, but he stopped very quickly. When he was coming home for a holiday, he then often took care of me. Then, he went to an Academy that Bob Brett had created, near Lugano. Once this experience stopped after 2 or 4 years, I can't remember, he totally dedicated himself to me. Also a bit with my elder brother who wanted to have a try with me. He's now a tennis teacher for kids, between Lausanne and Geneva.

TM: Dimitri's brother's also part of your team?
SW: Yes, he takes care of my contracts, he negociates them. Actually, everything got a bit fast for me in Switzerland, since I won RG Junior in 2003. The media got more interested in me and I needed some help to cope well with that other side of my professional life.

TM: That victory at RG has been very important. The sollicitations must have become more numerous, all of a sudden.....
SW: Firms like IMG or Octagon have had propositions for me. But I didn't see the point to accept them, as I have the feeling that they don't do much effort for you; if you're not n°1 or n°2, you come last. They have so many players, so many stars. As n°2 in Switzerland, behind who you know, I don't see what they could have offered me (smiles). I needed someone more specific so that I could find some sponsors in Switzerland.

TM: Like Roger Federer, you have that specific that you have very diverse origins....
SW: Actually, I have a double passport, Swiss-German, but I am Swiss, and I have always felt good in my country. My mother's Swiss and my dad's German, given his origins are Czech. It happens that Wawrinka's a Polish name because I had a great grandfather who was living on the border between Poland & Czechoslovakia.

TM: Did you already go there, searching for your origins?
SW: When I was 6 or 7, we drove there. It lasted for about 3 weeks if I remember well. I kept some images on my mind.

Wawrinka player page on Wikipedia