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Stan Wawrinka to miss remainder of 2017 with knee injury

By Harry Floyd

PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 11: PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE: Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland makes a speach following defeat in the mens singles final against Rafael Nadal of Spain on day fifteen of the 2017 French Open at Roland Garros on June 11, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 11: PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE: Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland makes a speach following defeat in the mens singles final against Rafael Nadal of Spain on day fifteen of the 2017 French Open at Roland Garros on June 11, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Stan Wawrinka has announced his withdrawal from the remainder of the 2017 ATP World Tour. The defending US Open champion is suffering from a knee injury.

Stan Wawrinka is stepping away from the rest of the 2017 ATP World Tour. The news comes just after Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic also announced his withdrawal from the remainder of the season.

The Swiss tennis star is the defending US Open champion. As the current world No. 4 in men’s singles tennis, Wawrinka has had a fantastic year. Wawrinka made the announcement via his Facebook page on Friday.

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After consulting with doctors, the Swiss tennis star decided to go ahead with surgery on his knee. He will need to recover for the rest of 2017 and plans to return for the 2018 ATP World Tour. While it is a disappointment for both Wawrinka and the sport, the world No. 4 seems optimistic about his return.

Stan Wawrinka missing the rest of 2017 makes the upcoming US Open even more interesting.

Last year, the Swiss tennis star defeated Djokovic to win his first ever title at the US Open. Now, both he and Djokovic will be absent at the Grand Slam.

The absence of two of the sport’s top players opens up possibilities for the likes of Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal among others. Federer already has two Grand Slam singles titles on the year and Nadal has one. Murray is hopeful that he will be healthy enough to make a run at the 2017 US Open. He remains the current world No. 1 on the ATP World Tour.

Stan Wawrinka being unable to defend his title also leaves room for an unexpected champion at the US Open. While Federer, Murray, and Nadal may be favorites, others such as former champion Marin Cilic see improved chances. Even veteran American tennis star, John Isner, who has won back-to-back titles to start his US Open preparation, could be in contention for the title. The American remains in search of his first ever Grand Slam singles title.

Stay tuned to see how the rest of the 2017 ATP World Tour plays out without both Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic.

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