Three time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka has withdrawn from this week’s Swiss Indoors in Basel and ended his season due to a back injury.
The 33 year-old was due to play Adrian Mannarino in his first round match in Basel after a good last few months has seen him rise to number 68 in the world.
However Wawrinka has had a rough year of injuries and the former Roland Garros suffered another injury in a practice session with Roger Federer yesterday.
The former world number three injured his back and the symptoms of the injury meant that not only did he have to withdraw from Basel but he has had to end his season.
After announcing his withdrawal, Wawrinka reflected on his ‘challenging’ season in a short statement, “It was a challenging season, both physically and mentally but I’m motivated for the new season.”
The news bring an end to a frustrating season for Wawrinka, who ends on a win-loss record of 17-17 from 34 matches. In the 18 tournaments that the Swiss played, his best result came in St. Petersburg where he reached the semi-finals before losing to Martin Klizan.
With the Swiss not getting any younger, these injuries will now raise doubts about Wawrinka’s ability to compete at the highest level on a consistent basis.
The Swiss’ withdrawal means that Adrian Mannarino will now play a Lucky Loser in the first round of Basel this week.
