No title hat-trick for Stan Wawrinka at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament in Geneva: The 33-year-old Swiss is unlikely to take part in his home game (from 21 May) because the entry fee offered is too low.
The stumbling block is once again the money: because Stan Wawrinka “feels undesired” at the sand court tournament in western Switzerland, the champion of the last two years has avoided Geneva this time.
According to the Swiss media, Wawrinka has received 1.5 million Swiss francs for his three previous appearances in French-speaking Switzerland. The three-time Grand Slam winner would have liked to extend his contract for another four years at the same conditions, but those in charge around tournament boss Rainer Schüttler offered him only 80,000 francs for one issue, without any further guarantees.
The fact that Wavrinka feels outcast hurts the tournament director very much. “I’m really sorry to hear those words,” said Schüttler. “I’m convinced we’ve done everything in our power to make Stan feel welcome. I repeat, we want him with us.”
At the moment, the former third in the world rankings is in Madrid for the ATP Masters 1000 tournament – but only for training purposes. After lengthy knee problems Wawrinka, who has reunited with success coach Magnus Norman, wants to return to the tour at the following Masters in Rome.