Stan Wawrinka says he has already accomplished “way more than he could have dreamed of” but noted that returning to the top-100 is still very “special.” Wawrinka, who will be turning 38 later this month, exited the top-100 in 2022 January.
Last Monday, Wawrinka improved to No 97 in the world and returned to the top-100 for the first time in 14 months. Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, achieved a career-high ranking of No 3 in 2014 January. “Work hard and follow your dreams, but never forget where you came from!
1 – young me dreaming of entering the top 100 ATP. 2 – 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!” Wawrinka captioned his Instagram post.
Wawrinka hopes to continue improving
In 2021, Wawrinka had two surgeries on his foot and he returned to action last March.
Last month, Wawrinka made back-to-back ATP quarterfinals in Rotterdam and Marseille. Even though those results are far cry from the results that Wawrinka was once making, the Swiss is still positive and just happy that his game and form are getting better.
“My game is high, when I enter the court I believe I can beat any player in front of me. 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,” Wawrinka recently said on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast.
Now, Wawrinka is preparing for the Indian Wells Masters. In the past, Wawrinka did have some notable results in the desert. Most notably, Wawrinka reached the 2017 Indian Wells final before losing to fellow compatriot Roger Federer. It remains to be seen if Wawrinka can turn back the clock and make another deep run in the desert.
