Stan Wawrinka has a difficult path ahead of him after his first defeat at the French Open against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Last year’s Paris final will be dropped from the ranking, the Swiss will therefore be among the top 250.
Wawrinka was taken out of action for several months last year due to a knee injury. However, the three-time Grand Slam winner does not want to know anything about a protected ranking. “Honestly? I don’t even know how the rule works,” Wawrinka said. “I don’t care about her.”
In order to be eligible for a protected ranking, a player who has been unavailable for at least six months due to injury must submit a written application. But the 33-year-old apparently did without it.
No problem for Wawrinka, though. “If I have to play a few challengers, I have no problem with that,” he said. In addition, he hopes for one or two wildcards, which he would need especially at the US Open, if he doesn’t make it back into the top 100 by then.
“I know exactly where I want to be. Sooner or later I’ll get back there, because I know what it takes,” Wawrinka said.
For the tournaments in Queen’s and Wimbledon, but also for Bastad and Gstaad, Wawrinka would still have a place in the main field. Entry lists for ATP events are always used six weeks before the start of the tournament.
Wawrinka doesn’t want to take a break either, instead the focus is on the lawn season: “I’ll try no matter what. “The way I play, I don’t see anything that should speak against it.”