Stan Wawrinka will start his 2017 season at the Brisbane International for the first time in his career.
The world No.3 is the latest name to be confirmed for the tournament after Rafael Nadal. In recent years Wawrinka has kicked-off his season at the Chennai Open in India, winning the title four times since 2011.
“I’ve heard such great things about the event and the beautiful city of Brisbane, and it feels like the right time to change-up the start of my season,” Wawrinka said in a statement.
“Brisbane is certainly one of the best events on the tour, always attracting the top players.’’
The 31-year-old will be aiming to win his first title in Australia since the 2014 Australian Open. This season the Swiss player has already won four titles in Chennai, Dubai, Geneva and the US Open. The quartet of successes has helped Wawrinka rise to third in the world rankings, his highest position since June 2014.
Wawrinka is the fourth grand slam champion confirmed for the Brisbane event, which feature both men’s and women’s draws. Also joining Wawrinka and Nadal is Angelique Kerber and Garbine Muguruza. Tournament director Geoff Quinlan has praised Wawrinka’s decision to play in the tournament.
“It’s really exciting to have Stan, the current world No.3 coming to Brisbane for the first time to compete in the Brisbane International,” he said.
The Brisbane International, which is categorised as an ATP 250 event, will start on January 2nd. In this year’s tournament Milos Raonic defeated Roger Federer in straight sets to win his first and so far only title in the region.
