Wawrinka Withdraws From Indian Wells & Miami

Former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka announced on Thursday that he will not play the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells or the Miami Open presented by Itau in order to continue his recovery from a knee cartilage injury that required two surgeries last August.

“They are both amazing events, but coming back from a big surgery after having played a few tournaments, I have discussed with my team that it is best for me to build on the progress and go back to practice,” Wawrinka said in a statement. “I’ve enjoyed being back on Tour playing matches and this gives me even more motivation to go back on the practice court. My goal is to find my highest level again and in order to do that I will keep working hard every single day.”

The Swiss superstar returned earlier this year after six months on the sidelines, competing in four tour-level events — the Australian Open, the Diema Xtra Sofia Open is Bulgaria, the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam and the Open 13 Provence in Marseille. His best performance was a semi-final showing in Sofia (l. to Basic).

“I need to be patient and give my body the time it needs, but as of now my goal is to come back on clay,” Wawrinka said. “I love that part of the season and hope to be ready by then. I want to thank all my fans who are always a great support. I’m working hard on and off the court and hope to be back within a few weeks.”