Wawrinka recounts the turning point in his career: "I realized I was capable of fighting with the best player in the world".
Before playing his 1st round match in Montpellier tomorrow against Arthur Cazaux, Stan Wawrinka was guest on the Nothing Major podcast, hosted by John Isner, Sam Querrey, Jack Sock and Steve Johnson.
The former world No. 3 talked about the turning point he experienced after losing to Novak Djokovic in the last 16 of the 2013 Australian Open:
"It was one of the most important matches of my career. It was the first time I realized that I was capable of taking on the world number 1, the best player in the world.
And I was close to winning. But I took the defeat as a victory. It was very difficult that night, because I was so close to winning.
In previous years, I was always in the top 20, playing well, but always losing to the best players.
Even when I had opportunities, I didn't believe in myself. After that match, it took me a few months to realize that if I found a way to push a little harder, I had a chance of beating the best."