Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka will be sidelined from the Tour for a ‘few weeks’ after undergoing surgery.
The 35-year-old Swiss player confirmed on Thursday that he has undergone a procedure on his left foot which has been troubling him in recent time. Wawrinka describes the operation as ‘minor’ but he gave no indication about when he hopes to return to the Tour. The world No.21 has already withdrawn from tournaments in Marbella, Monte Carlo and Belgrade.
“After having some problems in my left foot for a while, I have decided to do a small procedure on it. Everything went well,” Wawrinka wrote on Twitter.
“I will be out for a few weeks, but can’t wait to start practising again soon.”
The announcement comes after what has been a difficult start to the season for Wawrinka where he has won only three matches in four tournaments played. His best run so far in 2021 was reaching the quarter-finals of the Murray River Open in Melbourne. Since then he has lost in the second round of the Australian Open, first round in Rotterdam and first round in Doha.
At the end of last year Wawrinka’s coach Dani Vallverdu said he is still committed to playing on the Tour and wants to make ‘one last push’ before his career ends. Wawrinka is currently the sixth oldest man in the ATP top 100. The oldest is Roger Federer at the age of 39.
“The hunger is definitely there and he wants to make a last push now at the end of his career. The goals are not just to win tournaments, but to feel like he’s competitive at a high level,” said Vallverdu.
“It would be unrealistic to say that the goals are to win a Grand Slam. Whether it can happen or not? Of course it can.
“But with his potential and experience he feels if he is competitive against the guys that are at the top, he’s always going to have a chance to achieve big results.”
Wawrinka hopes that he will be fit in time for the French Open which will get underway on May 23rd. Despite his past injury woes, he has played at the Grand Slam every year since 2005 and won the title in 2015. So far in his career he has won 16 ATP titles.
