Wawrinka relishes Latin American adventure

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Second seed Stanislas Wawrinka’s focus is on his day job of trying to win the Buenos Aires Open, but the Swiss is equally enjoying his first visit to Argentina and the chance to indulge in another passion -- food.

"This is my first time in Argentina and I like to see the city a bit, see what the atmosphere is like, go walk in the city and eat out at night," the 25-year-old told Reuters in an interview at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club. "Because I travel a lot, I have the chance to discover other cuisines all over the world, it’s something I’m always interested in.

"I love cooking, I like lots of things but tennis was a pretty early choice," Wawrinka said of his decision at 17 to play tennis full time.

"(But) I’m here to work, I’m not on holiday," he added of his quarter-final against former champion Juan Monaco on Friday.

"The route (to the final) is long. I play Monaco tomorrow, he’s a very good player, he’s playing at home so I’m expecting a very complicated match," Wawrinka said on Thursday as he contemplated the difficulties of a first claycourt tournament since last year’s French Open.

Defeat by 2008 winner Monaco, ranked 30, would give Wawrinka more time to savour some Argentine specialities -- like the tango spectaculars -- or head off to Mexico early for next week’s tournament in Acapulco, last of the four on the Latin American claycourt swing.

"I know (Mexican cuisine), I like it a lot. Now I’m pleased to be going there to discover what they really do there."

Deciding to play on clay in Latin America was an easy choice this month, said Wawrinka, who sees it as good preparation for the Miami and Indian Wells tournaments in the U.S. in March, but also as a life choice.

"It was an easy choice to come here because I’ve always wanted to come to South America. It’s always fun to discover new cities and new tournaments.

"It’s also part of my (career) choices and it also allows me to get more quickly into (playing on clay)," he added of the surface.

"The important thing is to win, to get used to it again and now I feel in good shape for the remainder of the tournament."

Roddick, Querrey to face Chile in Davis Cup next month

NEW YORK (Reuters) - World number eight Andy Roddick and 18th-ranked Sam Querrey will represent the United States in a first-round Davis Cup tie against Chile next month, captain Jim Courier said on Thursday.

Number 24 John Isner and the world’s top-ranked doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan will also make the trip for the March 4-6 claycourt event at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago.

The Americans hold a 4-0 record over Chile in Davis Cup competition.

"All of the U.S. players are committed to the goal of winning the Davis Cup and our first step is to go to battle in Santiago," Courier, who was named U.S. Davis Cup captain in October, said in a statement.

"We expect a tough weekend of matches with our Chilean counterparts and look forward to the challenge."

The 28-year-old Roddick, with a 31-11 record in Davis Cup play, returns to the team for the first time since the first round in 2009.