I never start anything 'I want to be No. 1. I want to win Grand Slam.' For me, no. It's always step by step. The only thing I want to do, it's to push the limit.
— Stan Wawrinka
If you want to beat the No. 1 player in the world, you have to give everything.
Unfortunately, some younger player doesn't understand that if you want to get through, you have to sacrifice, you have to work hard, and there is no easy way.
When I'm back home, I try to do as little as possible because I want to take time with my family. That's the most important thing.
Playing a best of five-set match, you can always bounce back, even if you lose the first set.
Once you are on court, everything is different. I focus on the match.
I had a very happy childhood. I was lucky to grow up surrounded by nature and animals, to be outside all the time, and to work on a big farm with my dad.
You always need to try hard to find solutions. It's the same in life or tennis.
You can always learn when you lose.
The first years when I came to New York, everything was too big and too much. For me, it was too difficult here, but bit by bit, it became one of my favorite places.
I'm always trying to improve, always trying to be at my top, trying to push the limit.
I have many good friends on tour.
Stress is part of your career. You have to accept it and deal with it because there is a lot of emotion in tennis.
I never dreamed to win a Grand Slam. It was never a dream because, for me, it was way too far.
As far as fitness is concerned, you have to enjoy it, do good exercises, and integrate them into your tennis practice. The preparation for the season is as crucial as doing good blocks when switching from one surface to another.
To say that I won the French Open, it's something completely crazy.
It doesn't matter the way you're playing, especially the beginning of a grand slam. It doesn't change anything.
Every time I step on the court, I know I can beat my opponent.
In Grand Slam, you play every two days, five-set match. You have a little bit more time to make mistake.
When I was young, I liked to spend hours and hours on the practice court.
The schedule is tough in tennis.
My game takes time to adapt to grass; grass is a little bit different.
I don't take anything for granted. In the beginning, my parents put a lot of money on the table so I could live my dream, without putting any pressure on us. We made our own way. But I've seen so many players come and go that I never, not for one minute, thought I could rack up millions on the tour.
All you can do is trust your game and not wait for the opponent to give you the match.
There is always disappointment, heartache. You are losing almost every tournament. You need to just accept it and be positive because you are going to lose and fail. We're not all Nadal or Djokovic, who can win most tournaments.
There's only really one way to be at the top, and that's practicing - practicing well and practicing hard. And enjoying what you do, because if you don't enjoy it then, it's always tough to wake up and go practice and suffer on the court.
Put the fight on the court, and you will have a chance to win.
I've always enjoyed playing in Switzerland. The crowd support is amazing here, and Basel is one of the best indoor tournaments in the world.
Queen's is one of my favourite tournaments of the year.
I just have to play my best game. Not think about anything else - that is the only concern I have and that we should all have.
I was never afraid of getting up early and practice for many hours. I often go to practice very early during winter.
I like Chennai very much. The atmosphere is always great, and the fans are amazing. That's why I keep coming back.
When you don't play those big matches for a few years, it's tough to play back-to-back after that.
I don't really care if I play really well, well, or okay. I want to win.
The only plan is trying to push myself the maximum to be the best player I can.
Every match I won in a Grand Slam, I take confidence of that, and when I arrive in a final, I know my game is there.
I think it is good to grow up on a farm, with nature, with animals and everything when you are young.
The ranking never lies.
Coaching is very complex: it's like a puzzle, and many things need to come together to make it work.
By growing up at a center for people with special needs, I learned to always fight hard to achieve what I want. In this regard, I was incredibly lucky.
Doubt can be good because it means you want to improve: you want to be a better person, a better player. But it's also good not to have too many doubts on the court.
When I was younger, I was a little bit fat. I wasn't, like, big-time fat; I was just overweight - maybe around when I was 13 or 14. At that time, I wasn't practicing that much; tennis was just a hobby. But it wasn't easy to feel that way.
I enjoy putting myself in situations where you are nervous, but you need to enjoy yourself also. I've done skydiving, bungee jumping. I quite like those sensations - when you feel a little bit nervous and you don't really know where you are going. It's a quite good sensation that I love. I like the speed; I like everything.
You have to make sacrifices. You have to work out, to be relaxed in your mind, to focus on what you're doing.
I know if I want to have a chance to beat the top players, I need to be mentally ready for that.
Those big matches, when you go through so much, are the best thing. Those matches are why you play tennis.
Every minute counts. Being on time or not can mean the difference of a win or a loss and even of something positive or negative happening in life.
I enjoy Indian cuisine a lot. It's delicious.
I think I love my sport. I enjoy to play tennis. It's my passion.
If you start to hesitate with your game, if you start to not go completely with your plan, then it's tough to play your best tennis.
