ATP: Wawrinka wins at the start in Sofia and gets ultimatum

Stan Wawrinka has successfully returned to the tour at the ATP tournament in Sofia and has set a deadline for his fitness.

With a bit of luck, Wawrinka slipped into the grid in Sofia. After the rejection of local heroes and reigning tournament winner Grigor Dimitrov, who is suffering from a shoulder injury, Wawrinka announced his start in Bulgaria and slipped on top of the seed list.

Following his comeback attempt at the Australian Open, the Swiss will now continue to gain a foothold and return to his former strength. In Melbourne, the three-time Grand Slam champion was eliminated in the second round and didn’t present himself in a good physical condition:”I was physically far away from where I want to be,” explained Stan the Man after his retirement.

Due to a knee operation last summer, Wawrinka missed many tournaments and the complete preparation for 2018.

Now the 32-year-old celebrated his first success in Sofia on his way back to the top of the world. In three sets the Swiss player won against Martin Klizan from Slovakia with 4:6,6:2 and 6:3.

The level of play of the current number 15 of the world fluctuated at the start of the game and Wawrinka was facing a setback. As the game progressed, Wawrinka found his way into the game and turned the match in his favour. After the match point, the Swiss said:”Since the first day I came back from Australia, I’ve worked hard on my physical condition and tennis.”

The 32-year-old has a clear view of when Wawrinka wants to return to the top physical level. In six months at the latest, he wants to be among the world’s best and in top form again, added Switzerland’s number two.

On his way there, however, he has to avoid Victor Troicki in the Sofia quarter-finals.

The single panel in Sofia