Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka says he ‘still has a flame’ that makes him want to continue playing as he outlines his return date to competitive tennis following injury.
Wawrinka, who has been ranked as high as third in the ATP rankings, hasn’t played a competitive match since his first round loss to Lloyd Harris at the Doha Open almost 12 months ago. Since then, he has undergone two surgeries on his left foot. The first occurred shortly after his match in Doha and then he had a second in June. Those operations followed two left knee procedures he underwent in August 2017.
Despite the setbacks, the Swiss player has confirmed to the L’Equipe newspaper that he aims to begin his comeback at the Monte Carlo Masters which will get underway on April 9th with the qualifying rounds. Wawrinka says he wants to end his career on his own terms but insists that he is not considering stepping away from the sport anytime soon.
“The goal is to return to clay,” Wawrinka told L’Equipe.
“I’m coming back to finish my career, but that doesn’t necessarily mean within six months. I’m not preparing just to come back this year and say goodbye at the same time.’
“I still have this flame in me that makes me love tennis, love playing it, love training, love the toughness.”
Wawrinka has recorded five wins over world No.1 players with three of those victories occurring at a Grand Slam tournament. He is one of only three players to have beaten every member of the Big Four at a major event, along with Thomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He has also won a total of 11 titles on the Tour.
It is the desire to add to his trophy collection which is driving the veteran who made his ATP debut back in 2003. The last tournament he won was back in 2017 at the Geneva Open.
“Since my knee injury almost five years ago, my dream has been to win an ATP tournament before quitting.” He states.
The question is how much longer will Wawrinka continue playing? He himself is unsure of the answer but admits he is eyeing the possibility of playing in another Olympics when the games take place in Paris in 2024. The venue for the tennis tournament will be Roland Garros.
“These Games at Roland-Garros can be a great motivation,” he admits.
Wawrinka is currently ranked 237th in the world.
