Stan Wawrinka suffers setback ahead of 2022 season

• Tennis News
• ATP Tennis

Former world No. 3 Stan Wawrinka will be out until at least March, per Swiss newspaper NZZ. Wawrinka played the last tournament of the season in March as a foot injury cut short his 2021 season. Wawrinka underwent a foot surgery in March, before undergoing a second foot surgery in June.

Wawrinka was hoping to be ready for the start of the 2022 season but his name didn't appear on this week's released Australian Open entry list. Recently, Wawrinka admitted he's going through a difficult period "There is a lot you don't know about athletes.

About what they're going through. You only see the good sides of things. But it’s difficult for a lot of us, including me. Life on the tour is something very special, and you chose it at a young age. I really want to come back, to come back to the emotions that tennis gives me, to the stadium, to the fans.

I miss this life badly," Wawrinka said.

Wawrinka lost to Lloyd Harris in Doha

Wawrinka suffered a three-set defeat to Harris in the Doha first round in March. "I don’t have many words right now,” said Harris after the match.

“Stan was my idol growing up, so just to play against him was incredible. I was as determined as I could be, really pumped to play. I am proud of how I fought back after losing the second set. I feel like I’ve done really in the past couple of months and I hope to keep the momentum going." Switzerland won't have either of their two superstars at the Australian Open as Roger Federer is also set to miss the opening Grand Slam of the season.

"My life is not going to collapse if I don’t play a Grand Slam final again,” Federer said. “But it would be the ultimate dream to go back. And in fact, I still believe in it. I believe in these kinds of miracles”.