Three-time Major champion Stan Wawrinka has today announced that he will skip the Masters 1000 tournaments that begin next week in North America—Indian Wells and Miami—to continue his rehabilitation following knee surgery last August.
In a statement from his agency, he said:
“Unfortunately I need to announce that I won’t be able to play in Indian Wells and Miami. They are both amazing events but coming back from a big surgery is complicated, and after having played a few tournaments, I have discussed with my team that it is best for me to build on the progress and go back to practice.
“I’ve enjoyed being back on tour playing matches and this gives me even more motivation to go back on the practice court. My goal is to find my highest level again, and in order to do that I will keep working hard every single day.”
The Swiss added that he is planning to return for the clay season:
“I need to be patient and give my body the time it needs, but as of now my goal is to come back on clay. I love that part of the season and hope to be ready by then. I want to thank all my fans who are always a great support. I’m working hard on and off the court and hope to be back within a few weeks.”
Wawrinka was already starting to struggle with a knee problem at the end of the clay swing last year, despite reaching the final of the French Open. He nevertheless won his only title of the year in the run-up to Roland Garros at his home tournament in Geneva.
He was ranked No3 in the world as he embarked on the grass swing, but lost his openers at both Queen’s and Wimbledon, and did not play another match in 2017.
There remained some concern when he arrived in Australia after he pulled out of his preparatory events, and lost in the second round in Melbourne. He took a late wild card into Sofia, and made the semis, but in Rotterdam, he looked far from match fit, and lost to the 259-ranked Tallon Griekspoor in his opener.
The Swiss retired in his first match in Marseille the following week, and confirmed that his knee was giving him pain, so the lastest news, given just how arduous the Indian Wells/Miami double is, comes as no great shock.
Wawrinka does, of course, have points to defend for a few months yet. He was runner-up in Indian Wells last year, made the fourth round in Miami, and picked up those big points in Geneva and Paris—though he won only two matches between Miami and Geneva. And while he loves the clay, it is a punishing surface on the hips and knees.
He will therefore need to be fully fit to play the full swing, and he could find himself working back from around No20 in the world by the time he is able to make substantial points during the summer and autumn.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic, who also made his first appearance in Australia since Wimbledon but opted for a ‘small medical intervention’ on his elbow after losing in the fourth round, and Andy Murray, who aborted his planned return in Australia after six months away to undergo hip surgery, have both posted up-beat pictures this week.
Murray originally indicated that he hoped to return for the grass season following surgery, but according to the BBC, he may return sooner than planned, though there are no date specifics. Djokovic has posted a series of short training videos, the latest showing him playing at the Piatti Tennis Centre. He has yet to announce a return date.
In Acapulco, Rafael Nadal was the top seed at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel 500, and expected to make his first appearance since a hip problem forced him to retire in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
However, the Spaniard withdrew before playing a match, citing a recurrence of the same injury. He told the media in Acapulco:
“I went to the hospital to check it, do an MRI, and I still have some liquid there, so I need to keep doing tests to know what exactly is going on… We’re going to work hard to try to recover as soon as possible.”
There is, thus far, no word on his plans for Indian Wells.