I'm not a favourite for Australian Open, says defending titleholder Stan Wawrinka
World number four plays down his chances of repeating last year's Melbourne triumph as the first tennis grand slam of the year gets under way
Defending Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka had a dream season last year but says he is starting from scratch again this year, refusing to nominate himself as a tournament favourite.
The Swiss star jumped through the rankings to end the year as world number four with a 39-17 match record, not only winning his maiden grand slam but also helping his home nation claim the Davis Cup.
He said it had been an unbelievable time, but that was now in the past. "It was a crazy 2014 for me, winning a grand slam, Masters 1000, finishing with the Davis Cup trophy," said the 29-year-old, who fronted a press conference wearing a "Stan the Man" T-shirt.
It's a new year. Everybody starts at zero again. You have to be ready to play great all the year
"That's something amazing as a tennis player, something that you can only dream about it. For sure it changed a lot.
"Finishing number four, I'm really, really happy with that," said the Swiss. "But now it's a new year. Everybody starts at zero again. You have to be ready to play great all the year."
Wawrinka stunned Rafael Nadal to win the Australian Open decider last year, also upsetting three-time Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals,
Adding spice to his achievement was that he supplanted Roger Federer as the number one ranked Swiss player, a position his close friend had occupied since 2001.
