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Stan Wawrinka recovering, looks ahead to 2018 ATP World Tour

By Harry Floyd

PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 11: Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland plays a forehand during the mens singles final match 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: Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland plays a forehand during the mens singles final match 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 appears on the path to recovery. The Swiss tennis star is now looking ahead to early 2018 ATP World Tour action.

Stan Wawrinka is on the path to recovery. Earlier this year, the Swiss tennis star withdrew from the ATP World Tour due to a knee injury.

Now, two surgeries laters, Wawrinka appears to be ready to begin his rehab and training in preparation for the 2018 ATP World Tour.

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The three-time Grand Slam winner was just one of many top players to take time off due to injury. Others currently out include Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Milos Raonic, and Kei Nishikori among others.

With players such as Stan Wawrinka out for the remainder of 2017, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have continued to dominate the tour.

Currently, Nadal is the world No. 1 in men’s singles tennis with Federer right behind him.

The sport has without a doubt taken on a new form given the absence of Wawrinka and others. A set of young rising stars such as Grigor Dimitrov, Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev among others have taken advantage and shown themselves to be contenders.

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The crutches are off for Stan Wawrinka and he seems ready to get back into the tennis mindset. As the Australian Open is a Grand Slam he won in 2014, fans hope to see him healthy enough to compete by then. With the 2017 season wrapping up in the next two months, play at Melbourne Park is right around the corner.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZiROyYHffh/?taken-by=stanwawrinka85

It was unfortunate to see Wawrinka need to step away due to surgery as he was the defending US Open champion. Missing the fourth Grand Slam of the calendar year was a disappointment, but ultimately Wawrinka’s longterm health is more important.

At 32-years-old, the Swiss tennis star remains in search of a title at Wimbledon. If he can recover in time to be competitive by early 2018, the ATP World Tour will see if he has what it takes to make a run at the title next time around. Even with his absence, Stan Wawrinka is currently in the world No. 9 position in men’s singles tennis. He will continue to slide as he misses tournaments throughout the rest of the year. Wawrinka will, however, likely jump right back toward the top of the rankings once he makes his comeback on the 2018 ATP World Tour. Stay tuned to see how the remainder of his recovery goes.

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