Stan Wawrinka taking plenty of positives from Sofia Open

Shahida Jacobs
February 11, 2018

He may not have won the trophy, but Stan Wawrinka was happy with his progress at the Sofia Open.

The three-time Grand Slam winner is still feeling his way back after undergoing knee surgery in the second half of 2017 and this week’s tournament in Bulgaria was only his second of the year.

After losing in the second round at the Australian Open, Wawrinka took a couple of weeks off before making his comeback in Sofia.

He reached the semi-finals, but lost in three sets to Bosnia’s Mirza Basic on Saturday.

“It would have been great to win one more match but I need to take the positives from this week,” he is quoted as saying by Reuters.

“It was positive to have three matches in a row and win two matches. For sure it costs me more energy to win matches, since I am not used to play matches, but that is what I have to do to get back to my level.”

The semi-final was only his fifth competitive game of the year and he is happy with how things are going.

“My knee’s getting better,” he said. “I am really happy and positive after the surgery, it has been six months until now and everything is going really well. I think I am doing everything possible to get back to what I want to be.”

Next up is the Rotterdam Open and he could meet Swiss compatriot Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, but he is only focused on getting better.

“Tomorrow I am travelling and will try to practise there to prepare for my first match and to keep improving,” he said.

ATP Tour News Stan Wawrinka