Stan Wawrinka is running out of time: The Swiss has to postpone his comeback to the ATP tour again and sets a big question mark behind his participation in the Australian Open.
Stan Wawrinka’s comeback must continue to be a long time coming. The Swiss player announced on Wednesday morning that he will not be playing at the Tie Break Tens in Melbourne.
The cancellation now raises further questions as to whether “Stan the man” will be fit in time for the start of the Australian Open. Since last autumn, the three-time Grand Slam Champion has not played a match on the ATP Tour since last autumn and continues to struggle with knee surgery. The 32-year-old had to cancel the preparation tournament in Abu Dhabi due to a training deficit.
Now he will also be missing in the star-filled field at the fun tournament in Down Under. Apart from Wawrinka Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios and many other top players are registered. The Canadian Milos Raonic will take the place of the “Stanimal”.
Wawrinka could be the next prominent name on the cancellation list for the first Grand Slam of the year. Just recently, Scot Andy Murray announced that he has undergone hip surgery and will be back in the field only at the start of the grass season. Wawrinka dropped from third place in the world rankings to ninth place and has not competed in any match for over a year.
However, there seems to be a ray of hope with the Rafael Nadal file. The world number one seems to have cured his knee problems and is confident:”I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t feel well”, the Spaniard was quoted during the preparation in Australia.