According to Le Parisien, Swiss tennis star Stan Wawrinka has confirmed that he will play at the French Open this year. Wawrinka, 36, has not played since March last year due to an injury.
Wawrinka has missed the last four Grand Slams by not playing at the French Open, Wimbledon, US Open and this year’s Australian Open. However, Wawrinka is close to making a comeback and he should make his Grand Slam return at Roland Garros.
Wawrinka, now ranked 173 in the world, has enjoyed success on the Roland Garros clay courts throughout his career. Wawrinka won his first French Open title in 2015 before finishing runner-up at the 2017 tournament.
Wawrinka beat Novak Djokovic
In the 2015 French Open final, Wawrinka beat world No. 1 Djokovic to win it all. Wawrinka recently said Djokovic fears him, especially in the Grand Slams. “Novak Djokovic was always one of the Big 3 but I loved playing against him.
His game suits me best, although he’s beaten me more times than I can count,” Wawrinka said in his interview with Eurosport. “I know he fears me, mostly at Grand Slams, and I feel that when I go to the square.
He plays me at the highest level because he knows what I’m capable of.” Wawrinka also beat Djokovic en route to his first Grand Slam win at the Australian Open in 2014.”[Gegen Novak Djokovic bei den Australian Open 2014] I started to doubt myself and lost the first set 2-6.
I still managed to get into the match and made it to the fifth set,” Wawrinka recalled. “I said to myself, ‘This time I’m going to make it and I’m not going to let him escape.
Most recently, Wawrinka played at the French Open in 2020. Back then, Wawrinka suffered a surprise third-round loss to Hugo Gaston.
