Three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka will miss two key Masters 1000 tournaments in a bid to rest his problematic knee.
The Swiss player has withdrawn from events in Indian Wells and Miami as he continues to deal with the ongoing issue. Wawrinka underwent surgery on his left knee last year after ending his season early. He returned to action at the Australian Open, but experienced another setback at the Open 13 in Marseille. Retiring during his second round match against Belarus’ Ilya Ivashka due to pain in his knee.
“Unfortunately I need to announce that I won’t be able to play in Indian Wells and Miami,” Wawrinka said in a statement.
“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.”
Wawrinka has played seven matches on the tour so far this season, winning three of them. His best run was reaching the quarter-finals of the Sofia Open last month, where he was knocked out by Mirza Basic.
The focus of the 32-year-old is be ready in time for the clay swing of the tour, which will get underway in April. Last year on the clay, he won the Geneva Open before reaching the final at Roland Garros.
“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,” he said.
“I love that part of the season and hope to be ready by then.”
As a result of his withdrawals, Wawrinka will drop 600 points and fall out of the top 20 for the first time since August 2012 later this month.
Wawrinka is not the only high profile name pulling out of Indian Wells. On the same day as his announcement, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet have also withdrawn due to knee issues. The trio will be replaced by Jeremy Chardy, Laslo Djere, and Lukas Lacko.
