Stan Wawrinka—who is gearing up for his French Open title defense— says that there has been a lot more attention on him as the defending champion, but his approach is not going to change.
“For sure [there is] extra attention," the 31-year-old from Switzerland told the press in Rome. "...Honestly the pressure, no. There is not more pressure and not less pressure. Every year I go to [the] French Open, I put a lot of pressure on myself because I want to play well there. I love this tournament. So this year is going to be the same, pressure-wise. [It’s] going to be really hard like every year, but that's it."
Though Wawrinka has not had a great run on clay this season, he notes that he came into Roland Garros under similar circumstances last year.
"I was struggling with my game before here," he said. "I was starting only here to practice a little bit better, to find some level. I wasn't playing great tennis. I start[ed] little by little to play better and better in Rome, Geneva and then in Paris."
He fell to Rafael Nadal in the Monte Carlo quarterfinals last month and then to Nick Kyrgios in his opening round in Madrid. But he still has Rome and his hometown event, in Geneva, on his schedule, and says he likes the way he’s playing in practice.
"This year I'm just feeling really good in practice,” Wawrinka said. “I think I'm playing well. That's why I know that if I keep pushing myself, the rest will come sooner or later. I don't know when, but I know that my level is there.”
Of the other top names, Wawrinka is picking Novak Djokovic as the top contender.
"He's going to be the big favorite," said the world No. 4. "...Then I would put [Andy] Murray and Rafa. Rafa is starting to get back some confidence. He's playing better. Murray is playing extremely well since [a] few years now, especially on clay."
Wawrinka won his first Grand Slam title at the 2014 Australian Open.