Wawrinka turns back time and becomes oldest man to win in Basel – Tennis Now
Stan Wawrinka achieved a stunning feat in Basel on Tuesday night as he delighted the home crowd with a 6-1, 7-6(3) victory over Miomir Kekmanović to become the oldest player to win a match in Swiss Indoors history and the second-oldest player to win a 500-level ATP event.
“I was really nervous before the game but I’m very happy with my performance tonight,” Wawrinka said. “It’s an amazing feeling to still be able to play at this level and I’m looking forward to the next game.”
The 40-year-old and 6-month-old Wawrinka showed St. Jacobs Schaller fans just how much competition he has left in him, playing at a high level to win in one hour and 22 minutes to advance to the second round.
The two-time semi-finalist dominated the opening set before recovering from a break in the second to defeat the 26-year-old world number 52 in the tie-break.
“It’s fantastic, the best race of the year so far and it’s always special to play here in Basel – so much support and I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform well.
“I’m passionate about this sport and it’s these moments, the little moments, that I keep working towards. I haven’t had amazing results this year, but I’m still fighting, still trying to find my level, still practicing hard.
“I love what I’m doing, I’m passionate and it’s an amazing feeling to be playing on such a beautiful pitch in Basel.”
The Swiss hit 33 winning balls, while Kekmanovic only got 11 winning balls, with a first serve scoring rate of 75%.
Wawrinka improved his career mark to 17-16 in Basel and 581-374 on the ATP Tour.
