Count Stan Wawrinka among the throng of veterans who are either dealing with injuries or returning from injuries in 2018. Wawrinka’s comeback is one that had not yet gained momentum prior to Monday, but that all turned around in swift fashion at the All-England Club.
The Swiss upset sixth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov 1-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(3), 6-4 in the Wimbledon first round, picking up his biggest win since the 2017 French Open semifinals after two hours and 50 minutes.
Wawrinka got off to a rough start in the form of a 6-1 opening set to the Bulgarian and the 33-year-old came close to facing another set deficit late in the third. Dimitrov served for that frame at 5-3, but he could not seal the deal and Wawrinka had the upper hand basically the rest of the way.
Dimitrov interview:
“I still think at that moment that I wasn’t playing that bad,” Wawrinka said of the first set. “I was missing few things. The set went quick. I’ve been practicing so hard last few weeks on grass to get my level there, to be ready for big match, to know that I can count on my game. I had to put myself together again, to try to fight, (and) try to find (a) solution.
“My practices the past three weeks were really, really good. My level on the practice court, physically and tennis-wise, is (at) a really high level. So I was happy with that,. I didn’t come into the court thinking, ‘I’m going to win.’ But I came like, ‘Okay, I’m going to try my best, for sure, fight as well as I can, (and) try to make it happen.'”
“I did everything I could to put myself in [a winning]position,” Dimitrov commented. “I worked throughout the whole week so good. It’s just a shame. When it came to the clutch moments, he seized those moments.”
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Great win for Stan. A couple more wins, and look out. There is no player on tour with a greater difference between his performance level in slams vs. other tournaments.
Dimitrov rarely fails to disappoint and Stan is still the Man ….. http://www.138mph.com/tennis-day-1-at-the-wimbledon-championship/