At a current ranking of 198th in the world, Stan Wawrinka knows he has a long way to go to return back to the top of men’s tennis.
The three-time grand slam champion has plummeted down the rankings due to a combination of injury issues and early tournament losses. In 2017 Wawrinka underwent knee surgery as he was sidelined from competitive tennis for six months. To add to his woes, he also missed nearly three months of the tour this year to continue rehabilitation. His win-loss record this season currently stands at 6-11.
“People thought we would come back earlier because the year before, Roger and Rafa came back directly at the top,” Wawrinka told reporters on Tuesday. “But at the end, in sport, you cannot compare any injury. We all have different problems, different injuries, and we’re all trying to be back at the top.”
Wawrinka kick-started his US Open series campaign this week. Participating in the Citi Open, he crashed out in the first round. Losing 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(3), to Donald Young after almost two-and-a-half hours of play. The 33-year-old had previously won three consecutive matches against his rival on the tour.
“It’s a tough loss, that’s for sure,” Wawrinka said. “It’s painful to lose in the first round here, especially 7-6 in the third. There were some positives, but I saw a lot of negatives. I was missing a lot, not feeling the way I wanted — I’m looking for confidence, for sure. It’s tough to not win a lot of matches. Then you start to think too much on the court.”
Moving on from his latest defeat, Wawrinka will return back to the qualifying draw on the ATP Tour. Something he hasn’t done since the 2005 Paris Masters. Due to his current ranking, his only way into the main draw was via wild card, but he didn’t receive one. Instead, he has been granted a pass to play in the qualifying rounds at the Rogers Cup. A tournament he was a semifinalist at back in 2016.
“It’s a really long process. There are different steps during the last year — it’s been a year already. Right now, it’s getting back the little confidence, putting out the doubts you have in your game. . . . I feel I’m really close, but at the same time I’m really far,” the former world No.3 explained.
“I know and I’m sure I will get where I want to be, but it’s tough, it’s a long process, and you have to accept.”
Should he qualify next week, Wawrinka will play in the main draw of a Masters 1000 tournament for the 98th time in his career.
