Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka may be approaching the twilight of his career, but the former World No.3 still believes he can be competitive against the world's top players, according to his coach Daniel Vallverdu.
In an interview with Reuters, Vallverdu said the 35-year old is pushing himself in training, with the goal of competing for titles next year.
"The last few events of the year were very encouraging," Vallverdu revealed. "He's now ready to go through his full training block in December, and hopefully have a full season next year.
The hunger is definitely there and he wants to make a last push at the end of his career. The goals are not just to win tournaments but to feel like he's competitive at a high level."
Vallverdu stated that the three-time Grand Slam champion has made his goals for 2021 clear to his team, adding that the Swiss is aware of how much more work he has to put in if he's to remain competitive against the top players.
"It would be unrealistic to say that the goals are to win a Grand Slam. Whether it can happen or not? Of course it can.
But with his potential and experience he feels if he is competitive against the guys that are at the top, he's always going to have a chance to achieve big results."