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Stan Wawrinka continues to surprise and win even against the advancing age. The expert Swiss player, at 38 years old and with a very long injury to his shoulders, doesn't want to know about throwing in the towel except by giving his soul on the court, especially if it's a scenario particularly dear to him like the Roland Garros, which saw him triumph in 2015.
The Swiss played his first round at the 2023 edition of the Parisian Slam against the Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who only lost at the end of an authentic five-set marathon. Fundamental for Wawrinka was the support of the crowd, who flocked to the stands of Court 14, which was real fuel for his engine.
Stan said after the match: "I always try to make everything special, to have a connection with the people, with the fans, because, like I said, it's one of the main reasons I keep playing and I want to have as much fun as possible.
So if I can stay another five minutes on the court, I will." Wawrinka: "It's exciting to win these matches"
It was a tough first round for Stan Wawrinka at Roland Garros 2023.
The match now seemed totally in favor of the Swiss, who led by two sets to zero, but with a great show of pride Ramos-Vinolas was able to get back on track and even the score.
However, Wawrinka, taking advantage of his enormous experience and above all the push of the fans, was not disunited and brought home the fifth set 6-4. Speaking at the press conference at the end of the match, the three-time Grand Slam champion wanted to underline the emotional aspect deriving from the support of the public, which in his opinion was decisive: "I think it was special to be here today too, a lot supportive, a lot of fans here.
They helped me a lot today to stay in the game and keep fighting. It's great to play these big tournaments like here, to have such a great atmosphere. On Court 14 it will always be special for me to play here at the French Open.
I have so much support and it gives me a lot of emotion to win these matches." Stan Wawrinka is now playing his second round match against Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, whom the Swiss has never faced in his career.