Wawrinka, a winner of three Grand Slam titles was due to return from knee surgery in the exhibition event in the UAE but disclosed he may be forced to postpone his comeback.
The 32-year-old was upset by Daniil Medvedev in the opening round of Wimbledon and almost immediately ended his 2017 season due to a persistent knee issue. Later, he underwent surgery on his problematic knee.
The former Australian Open champion was back on the practice courts at the start of December and is scheduled to participate in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship from the 28th of this month.
However, in an interview to Swiss newspaper Le Matin, Wawrinka has stated that his knee is still not 100% and he may not arrive in Abu Dhabi for the event.
“I still can’t play points right now,” Wawrinka said.
“The goal is still to play the Australian Open, to arrive there one week before to practice hard.
“For Abu Dhabi, we’ll see.
“Mentally I have to focus on the knee, I have to be careful not to impose certain movements on the knee.
“I have to also watch the rest of my body which needs to get used to the changes.
“In fact, I have to push hard but in a predefined and very rigid way.”
