After breaking the disappointing news of his withdrawal from this year’s French Open, veteran Swiss tennis star Stan Wawrinka has already announced his return to the Tour. 

The three-time Grand Slam champion has enlisted his participation at Stuttgart ATP 250, a calendar grass court event that will open a day after the French Open concludes.

The tournament, which will get underway on June 8 and conclude on June 13, will present the current World No.24 with an opportunity to sharpen his grass-court game and get some wins under his belt before Wimbledon comes calling.

Stan Wawrinka withdrew from the French Open earlier

Wawrinka underwent a surgical procedure on his left foot a couple of months back and with his recovery behind schedule, the 2015 champion had little option but to pull out of Roland-Garros.

The organizers of the Stuttgart event has put out an entry list of starts and it features Wawrinka right at the top, followed by reigning Madrid champion and home favorite Alexander Zverev and maverick Australian star Nick Kyrgios.

The event will also feature Polish star Hubert Hurkacz, who lifted his maiden Masters 1000 title in Miami this year and Canadians Denis Shapovalov, Felix-Auger Aliassime and Milos Raonic.

Rising Italian star Jannik Sinner, who finished runners-up in Miami, Australians Alex De Minaur and Alexei Popyrin and reigning Dubai champion and Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev will be the other prominent to look out for in the tournament.

Chilean Christian Garin, Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, who lifted his second title of the year at the Munich Open, Jan-Lennard Struff, the fallen finalist in the German capital this year, and Italian Open semi-finalist Lorenzo Sonego will round off the draw at the event.

Wawrinka hasn’t won a title for over a year

Grappling with injuries, the Wawrinka hasn’t had a good run of results on Tour in the recent past. He failed to add a single title to his name in the Covid-curtailed 2020 season and couldn’t end his trophy drought in the events he featured in this year either.

Read More: Former French Open Champion Stan Wawrinka Announces Unfortunate News, While Compatriot Roger Federer Makes a Comeback

Wawrinka fell in the second round at the Australian Open and suffered similar early exits in Rotterdam and Doha before taking an extended injury-induced break.