Stan Wawrinka spoke about his injury concerns at a press conference in the run-up to the Australian Open. During his forced break, he suffered from severe knee pain, which made him anxious about the continuation of his career.
“I was very worried because I had to walk on crutches for eight weeks,”Wawrinka told media representatives on Saturday. According to the Swiss, it was only a success that he was able to travel to Melbourne at all.
“It’s always complicated when you’ve been on a very high level before an injury. You can get used to the pain, but mentally it’s difficult. You feel lonely, you just don’t feel good.”
Wawrinka, who won the first of his three Grand Slam titles in Australia four years ago, still has pain in his knee but now knows how to deal with it.”I’ve been in constant contact with my doctor since my operation,”Wawrinka said,”He knows exactly what kind of pain I’m experiencing.”
Last year, the 32-year-old made it to the semi-finals at the Australian Open, where he was defeated by his compatriot Roger Federer in five thrilling sets.”My knee is getting better and better,”he said,”but I still have a lot of work to do to get back to my top level”.