Wawrinka’s struggles continue in comeback

Much was made of Roger Federer’s six month break from tennis in 2016, and how it paved the way for the reinvigorated Swiss to sweep through a banner 2017 season.

The same, so far at least, cannot be said for his compatriot Stan Wawrinka.

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On Tuesday the three-time major champion bombed out in the first round of the ATP Rotterdam tournament to a player who had never before won a set in a tour-level match.

Tallon Griekspoor, a 21-year-old Dutch wildcard ranked 259th, recovered to oust the Swiss 4-6 6-3 6-2.

“I was not surprised by his level, I expected a tough match. I knew he was a big hitter. He showed that he has a great potential,” said a gracious Wawrinka.

But this loss surely had to sting. He hadn’t lost to a player ranked so low in more than 13 years.

First ever @ATPWorldTour match win. At home. As a wildcard.

Thrilling win for Tallon Griekspoor 4-6 6-3 6-2 over Wawrinka.#abnamrowtt pic.twitter.com/tMkD0M7aYb

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 13, 2018

The loss followed on from his semifinal loss in Sofia and his stunning second-round defeat at the Australian Open to little-known American Tennys Sandgren.

Like Federer in 2016, Wawrinka in 2017 played his last match at Wimbledon before taking the rest of the season off. The reason? A bum left knee that eventually required two surgeries in August.

Yet while Federer returned in 2017 after his own knee troubles to win the Australian Open, Wawrinka’s comeback – like fellow major champions Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray – has been far less rapid, or smooth.

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Wawrinka has remained adamant that he needs to return to the tour to get back into the swing of competition after a long break. “I need matches, I need tournaments, I need confidence,” he said after winning his first match in Sofia. And he claims his fitness has room for improvement, which is understandable after a lengthy absence from elite-level competition.

“I was struggling with everything, not the knee especially. The knee was still handling well,” he said after his loss to Sandgren in Australia. “As long as I enter on the court, and I don’t feel any big injury, I’m not going to retire. I was trying to fight.”

Yet many doubt his claims that his knee is not bothering him.

Can somebody explain to me why Stan Wawrinka played Sofia hampered and now basically limping in Rotterdam?! What does he have to prove to anyone? Go home & rest.. Come back when your body is ready. Just sad to see????

— Hamze Yusuf (@hamzeyus) February 13, 2018

And after watching him in Rotterdam, it was clear he is still hampered. His serve was impacted, with Wawrinka struggling with his knee bend, extension and ability to explode up into the ball. He struggled to run effectively for shots that stretched him wide. And his positioning around the ball when stationary was also suspect; he sprayed strokes as the match wore on.

Courtney Nyugen, on the latest episode of the No Challenges Remaining podcast, said that it was obvious Wawrinka was not back to full health.

“(Wawrinka) was not fit enough to play a full tournament. He knew coming down (to the Australia Open) that he could not win this tournament,” she said. “He could barely walk through his first round, and then he gets Tennys Sandgren (in round two). He can’t move. He can’t move! He made Tennys look like a top-10 player.”

Sandgren was then ranked No.97.

Wawrinka maintains it’s all part of a bigger-picture process of returning to the level that as recently as six months ago saw him entrenched in the top five.

“You have to be patient. It takes time to get back where I want to be. That’s all I need to have in my mind. Today was not the best day,” he said simply.

And he appears intent on forging ahead with his comeback; Wawrinka is on the entry list for next week’s ATP event in Marseille, as well as the March Masters events at Indian Wells and Miami.

Yet until he can get his body right, losses like the one to Griekspoor may become the norm rather than the exception.