The men’s draw at this year’s French Open will take place without Stan Wawrinka for the first time since 2004 after the Swiss officially withdrew on Monday.
In an updated entry list, the 36-year-old has formally pulled out of the Grand Slam but is yet to issue a public statement. Wawrinka hasn’t played on the Tour since his first round loss to Lloyd Harris at the Qatar Open in March. Since then he has been sidelined from the Tour after undergoing a ‘small procedure’ on his left foot.
“After having some problems in my left foot for a while, I have decided to do a small procedure on it. Everything went well. I will be out for a few weeks but can’t wait to start practicing again soon,” Wawrinka wrote on social media on March 25th.
Since the surgery, the three-time Grand slam champion has been posting videos and photos of him training on social media. He is currently residing in Monaco and has been seen hitting on a hardcourt. Which was another hint that he wouldn’t be playing on the clay this season.
It is unclear as to when Wawrinka will return to competitive tennis but it is expected that it will be on the grass. The Wimbledon Championships takes place two weeks after the French Open, which was delayed by seven days earlier this year.
The world No.24 has won three out of seven matches played across four tournaments so far this year. Although he has lost in the first round of his two most recent tournaments in Rotterdam and Doha. Besides a foot issue, Wawrinka also caught COVID-19 during the end of 2020 which impacted his off-season training.
Wawrinka is a former French Open champion after winning the title back in 2015 when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the final. It was at the tournament where he made his Grand Slam main draw debut back in 2005 and he had played there every year until now. Overall, he has won 44 out of 59 matches played at Roland Garros.
Replacing Wawrinka in the French Open draw will be Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak.
