"Very tired, broken even" - Stan Wawrinka feeling the effects of his comeback push

Former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka recently revealed that his 2023 ATP tour season has been physically tough.

Stan Wawrinka, a three-time Major winner, suffered from a serious back injury in early 2021, which kept him on the sidelines for more than a year. Although the Swiss subsequently made his return to the ATP tour in 2022, he wasn't able to get many match-wins under his belt.

This year, however, 'Stan the Man' has competed with renewed vigor, which translated into a 26-21 year-to-date win-loss record. The highlights of his first full-tour season since his back injury include reaching the third round of Wimbledon and finishing as the runner-up at the 2023 Croatia Open.

Stan Wawrinka has slowed down a bit after his campaigns at the above tournaments, though. The 3-time Major winner has dropped five of his last six matches on the pro tour, which included a first-round loss to Russia's Alexander Shevchenko at the Swiss Indoors Basel on Tuesday (October 24).

Speaking to the Tribune de Genève afterward, the 38-year-old asserted that he has been "very tired, broken even" as the season draws to an end. He also revealed that he has been 'pushing himself as much as possible' to elevate his game. He said:

"I feel that for the past few weeks, I have been very tired, broken even. After Astana, there were two or three times when I wanted to work but I couldn't because I was too tired. I feel like I'm paying back for all the efforts I've made since returning from injury.

"I really wanted to get back to a certain level and I had to push myself as much as possible to do that."

"I'm happy with the support I have in Switzerland" - Stan Wawrinka

Stan Wawrinka waves to fans after exiting the 2023 US Open

During the interaction with the Swiss-French daily, Stan Wawrinka was also asked to give his thoughts on the Basel crowd. In his response, the former World No. 3 expressed his happiness with the welcome he received at the beginning of the week.

"I am very happy with the welcome I received. I don't come back to tournaments to compare with what I experienced in the past. I come back because I have this flame that burns for tennis, even more so when I play at home. I'm happy with the support I have in Switzerland and I don't take it for granted," he said.

The 38-year-old also disclosed that he has no plans of hanging up the racquet as long as he feels motivated and trains well enough.

"As long as I feel motivated and everything goes well like this year, I want to continue. Now you have to know that it requires a lot of effort, more than in the past, more than you can see. These are daily sacrifices, which are compensated by the love I receive wherever I play. It remains to be seen how long I can last," he added.

Stan Wawrinka will next be playing at the 2023 Paris Masters, which begins on October 30.