Dubbing it a “perfect week”, Swiss ace Stanislas Wawrinka said his third title in the Aircel Chennai Open which he won here Sunday was special and it gave him confidence ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
“I am really happy and it is a great feeling (to win the title) at the start of a new season. It is special here to win for the third time. I am feeling more confident as I fly to Melbourne to have a few days of practice there,” said Wawrinka after his 6-3, 6-4 win over qualifier Aljaz Bedene.
The 29-year-old Wawrinka, who will be defending his Australian Open crown, attributed Sunday’s success to off season training in Abu Dhabi.
“I had worked hard during the off season and my fitness trainer and my coach have not come here. I went to Abu Dhabi for few days to get ready for this tournament,” he said.
“I feel great and happy to start the week with a win. The first week of a new season is important. It is for sure, I can play well on the season,” said Wawrinka, who became the first player to win the Chennai Open title thrice after his success last year and in 2011.
“I am happy (to win here three times). As I said before, I always enjoy coming here. I love the fans and the atmosphere here. This year, it has been a perfect week for me and I am enjoying the title win for the third time.”
Reflecting on the tournament here, Wawrinka heaped praised on the 25-year-old Bedene and hoped that the Slovenian will enjoy a good season.
“It is important for me to come back and try to win again. Yesterday, I had a tough match. It is never easy and winning each match is important,” he said.
“It was a good final for me. I was able to put pressure on Bedene with my first serve success. I was aggressive from the beginning. I gained two breaks and I am really happy with the way I deal with it,” he added.
“Bedene is a good player. It is nice that we have played each other three years in a row. He played an amazing match last night saving four match points against Roberto Baustita Agut (third seed),” he said.
“He (Bedene) is a nice guy and I am happy that he started the season with a final entry as a qualifier. I hope he can improve this year.”
(IANS)