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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland stands dejected during his Gentlemen’s Singles quarter-final match against Roger Federer of Switzerland on day nine of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on July 2, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland stands dejected during his Gentlemen’s Singles quarter-final match against Roger Federer of Switzerland on day nine of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on July 2, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Swiss tennis icon Stan Wawrinka last played at the Qatar Open earlier this year, where he lost in a tight three-set contest to Lloyd Harris. Since then, the Swiss star decided to have a foot surgery and opted out of the remaining ATP season and focused on rehab.
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Stan Wawrinka out of 2022 Australian Open as foot rehab continues
As the tennis world was expecting some positive news from Wawrinka’s camp ahead of the 2022 Australian Open, Swiss-German daily news paper NZZ reported that he will be out of action until at-least March next year, Wawrinka’s manager confirmed.
Wawrinka played his last match in march. https://t.co/A5PB3laZ7U
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) December 9, 2021
That means, Wawrinka will skip the Australian Open and might miss the sunshine double as well.
Since 2017, the Swiss has been dealing with multiple injuries and even though there was a brief phase where he showed glimpses of his previous best, Wawrinka’s foot injury earlier this year had casted several doubts over his comeback.
As refreshing as it is to see new talent emerge on both the ATP and WTA tours every year, the senior tennis crop that includes the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Stan Wawrinka, have struggled with injuries and ended their season abruptly.
Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 10, 2021 Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka in action during his second round match against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics. Crowd capacity for this years event has been capped at 30,000 following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
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Murray and Wawrinka faced career-threatening injuries in 2017
Andy Murray, who didn’t play till September this year, found his rhythm back on tour and produced scintillating performances against top-notch opponents like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner, Hubert Hurkacz, and others.
Even though Murray is yet to make his mark at slams and other Masters events, his run in 2022 will decide if he will be able to reprise the 2016 version of himself. Looking at the similarities between Wawrinka and Murray, they both got injured around the same time.
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NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 11: Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland celebrates after winning the third set against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their Men’s Singles Final Match on Day Fourteen of the 2016 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 11, 2016 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
In fact, after their semi-final match-up at the 2017 Roland Garros, Murray suffered a hip injury while Wawrinka struggled with knee problems. The match was physically taxing for both the stars as they lost themselves in the heat of the battle and displayed an enthralling game of tennis for fans to cherish.
With Murray set to continue his form in 2022, let’s hope that Stan Wawrinka’s much-awaited comeback will also be as fruitful as that of Murray.
Also read: “A General Entry List”: Craig Tiley Adds New Twist to Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open 2022 Saga
