Stan Wawrinka lost his first-round match at 2014 Roland Garros against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Since, he had tallied an 18-2 record in Paris, including a triumph in 2015.
That was until Monday, when the No. 23 seed lost his opener on the red dirt against Garcia-Lopez for the second time in his five most recent appearances. Wawrinka now faces a harsh reality — with 1,190 ATP Rankings points set to fall off his total, the Swiss will drop outside the Top 250 of the ATP Rankings, his lowest standing since 11 August 2003.
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“I say all my career is that the ranking doesn't lie. If you play, you are at the top. If you don't play, you're getting down. For sure, I'm going to require some wild cards. But again, if I have to play some Challengers, I have no problem with that,” Wawrinka said. “I know exactly where I want to be. I won three Grand Slams in my career and I know what it takes to do it. And my goal is to get to my top [level]. Sooner or later I will be [there].”
There is some good news for Wawrinka, despite the loss. He says the knee injury that forced him to undergo two surgeries last August was not an issue, leaving the 33-year-old confident.
“My knee is good. I'm happy with that. That's really positive to see, but it's been now a few weeks that I'm feeling great with that sort of injury I did. So that's good,” Wawrinka said. “I'm in the right way, and I need to keep pushing.”
In a way, it has not surprised Wawrinka, a 16-time tour-level titlist, that he has struggled to find wins this year (4-7 in 2018). He did not expect to immediately find his best level.
“I knew from the beginning that it will take a long time to get back. I knew that from the surgery that it will take a year at least to get where I want to be,” Wawrinka admitted. “It's tough mentally, because since the first day, there is no day off… that you feel that you don't push yourself. So that's the most difficult part. But again, I think I'm on the right way. I'm playing well. The knee is keeping up and physically I’m starting to be stronger every day.”
Wawrinka will be in uncharted territory when the next ATP Rankings are released. The last time he was outside of the Top 50 was more than a decade ago (20 August 2007). But for the Swiss, it is not the ranking that will affect his confidence.
“You [need to] start to win matches. Simple as that. You practise well and you get your level back and you win matches, and in a few months you're back up to your level if you play well,” Wawrinka said. “When you're out of the Tour because of injury, for sure your ranking will drop no matter what, because you didn't play. But for me, that's not the most important.”
Instead, it is the hard work he has been doing outside of the limelight. Wawrinka has gone through difficult times attempting to recover. But even though he lost Monday, these moments, on the grandest stages in tennis, are what all that work has been for.
“I know that what I have been doing since I was injured, all the efforts I make, and no one sees it,” Wawrinka said. “It's to live through moments like this. And I hope there will be several victories after that.”