Wawrinka behind in prep for Australian Open

Published by Matt Trollope

Stan Wawrinka's knee troubles were evident at the Australian Open in 2017; Getty Images
In a press conference on Friday, Stan Wawrinka admitted he was behind in his preparations for the Australian Open but that he’d play at Melbourne Park – “even if I am not 100 per cent healthy.”

Stan Wawrinka has revealed in a press conference that his preparation for the Australian Open is not quite where he’d like it to be.

The good news? He’s likely to play anyway.

The Swiss, who won the first of his three major titles at Australian Open 2014, has not played since Wimbledon, and later in 2017 underwent knee surgery.

“At the moment my priority is to recover well from my two surgeries. I work hard physically six days out of seven, but from the tennis point of view I’m a little bit behind,” he admitted.

“The goal is to play Australian Open, even if I am not 100 per cent healthy.

“It’s been since a year – the Swiss Indoors in Basel – that I suffered knee issues. The only regret is that I didn’t stop before the grass-court season, which worsened the situation.”

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Another blow in a frustrating season for Wawrinka was the departure of his coach, Magnus Norman.

Norman is considered the force behind Wawrinka’s late-blooming rise; before working with Norman Wawrinka had never gone beyond a major quarterfinal.

If Wawrinka’s words are anything to go by, Norman’s decision has not gone down well.

“It was a big disappointment. In some of the worst moments of your career, you expect to be able to count on your dear ones. The timing of the announcement surprised me,” Wawrinka said.

“A (new coach) will be needed for the long-term, for the next three-four years. I have some names in the list and (Paul) Annacone could be a solution, After we worked in the grass season.”

Wawrinka said that in the first quarter of 2018 he was hoping to play the Australian Open, and then at ATP stops in Rotterdam, Marseille, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo.

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