The emotions provided by the crowd are one of the reasons I continue," states Wawrinka

Stan Wawrinka, invited by the organizers of the Athens tournament, made a successful start by beating Botic van de Zandschulp with a score of 2-6, 7-6, 7-5. During the match, the Swiss player was able to count on the support of the crowd.

In comments gathered by the Greek media SDNA, he stated: "I am happy to have won this match, it was really difficult for me.

At the beginning, the play was very aggressive, so it wasn't easy, but then I started to play better, to find my rhythm, to have longer rallies, to get more involved, to serve well, to vary my serve…

I am really thrilled to be here in Athens for the first time. I received a lot of support tonight and it's great to have the opportunity to play another match.

One of the reasons I continue is these emotions. Seeing the fans support me, give me so much energy, it's always just as incredible.

I know that when I stop, I will never be able to experience such a thing anywhere else.

And, as I said, it's special for me, after so many years, to discover a new city, a new tournament. I am happy to have had the opportunity to come here, to have received an invitation from the tournament director and I am very grateful to him.

It was important for me to win today, to have the possibility to stay here a few more days and to see what I can do next.