Stan Wawrinka, 37, reveals that he is still putting in hours of practice to get his one-handed backhand right. Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, has one of the most beautiful one-handed backhands in tennis history.
Wawrinka won a lot of fans for that particular shot alone, as many find the Swiss’s one-handed backhand very aesthetically pleasing. “Practice, hours and hours of practice, balls and balls, bucket and everything that goes with it.
Still today, I work hard on it to be able to maintain the level or even improve it,» Wawrinka said, according to We Are Tennis.
Stan, how do you have such a nice backhand?
“Practice, hours and hours of practice, balls and balls, bucket and everything that goes with it.
Still today, I work a lot on that to be able to maintain the level or even improve it.»
(through @Open13) pic.twitter.com/UcrSBRp8zJ — We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) February 21, 2023
Wawrinka got off to a winning start in Marseille
On Monday, Wawrinka edged out Belgian rising star Zizou Bergs 6-4 6-7(6) 6-4.
«It was a tough match against a great player. It was a great fight. I’m happy to go through. The first one is never easy.» [It is] a new week, new tournament, different conditions. You have to fight through it [and] Stay positive. I’m happy with the victory.» Wawrinka said after beating Bergs.
The first break points of the match were seen in game seven, when Wawrinka saved two break points to open up a 4-3 lead. In the tenth game, as Bergs was serving to stay in the first, Wawrinka broke the Belgian to win the opener.
Late in the second set, Bergs began to put a lot of pressure on Wawrinka’s serve, but lost three break points in the seventh game and one more in the ninth game. In the second set tiebreaker, Bergs did not convert his first set point, but converted his second set point to send the match to a decider.
After losing a tight second set, Wawrinka rallied early in the third set by breaking Bergs in the first game of the set. That break of serve was enough for Wawrinka, who held his serve for the rest of the match to complete a three-set victory.
