Stan Wawrinka still has the hunger and potential to be ‘competitive at a high level’, says his coach
His last ATP Tour title success was in 2017, but Stan Wawrinka still has the motivation “to make a last push” and achieve big results in tennis, according to his coach Dani Vallverdu.
After injury-hit 2017 and 2018 campaigns, Wawrinka showed signs of recovery in 2019 as he finished runner-up at two events while during the shortened 2020 season he reached the quarter-final of the Australian Open.
At the age of 35, time is no longer on his side, but Vallverdu believes the three-time Grand Slam winner has the “potential and experience” to still compete with the best in the business.
“Once the tour had a little bit more of a structure and we knew that tournaments were going to happen he found his motivation again and we were able to practise with a goal and with objectives in front of us,” Vallverdu said.
“The last few events of the year were very encouraging. He’s now ready to go through this training block in December, and hopefully have a full season next year.
“The hunger is definitely there and he wants to make a last push now at the end of his career. The goals are not just to win tournaments, but to feel like he’s competitive at a high level.
“It would be unrealistic to say that the goals are to win a Grand Slam. Whether it can happen or not? Of course it can.
“But with his potential and experience he feels if he is competitive against the guys that are at the top, he’s always going to have a chance to achieve big results.”
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