Wawrinka praises Parisian fans: "I really felt like I was playing at home".

© AFP

Elio Valotto

le 30/05/2024 à 17h33

2 min to read

Kotov Roland Garros Wawrinka

Nobody knows whether Stan Wawrinka played his last match at Roland Garros. What is certain is that it is a possibility. At the age of 39, he doesn't have many Grand Slam tournaments left to play, and the Swiss has sold his skin dearly again this year.

After a very quiet first round against a Murray far from his best (6-4, 6-4, 6-2), he put up a tremendous fight against one of the circuit's rising stars, Pavel Kotov (56th). The 25-year-old Russian gave nothing away. Very aggressive, he managed the decisive games of the first and fourth acts perfectly to win in almost 4 hours (7-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6).

In tears at the end of the match, the Swiss champion paid tribute to the welcome he received at Porte d'Auteuil: "It's the first time I've experienced such an atmosphere here. A huge number of fans came to the Philippe-Chatrier after the match. The atmosphere was crazy, and I really felt like I was playing at home. It brings back extra memories and makes me want to keep going. Because to experience something like that is very rare. I'm very sad to have lost."

Asked about his chances of lining up in Paris next year, Wawrinka gave no clear answer: "It's twelve months away, and at my age, you can't see that far ahead. The desire is there, and I think the level is there too. Now we need to win matches and maintain a certain ranking to be able to play in this kind of tournament." (comments relayed by Le Matin).