Stanislas Wawrinka withdraws from upcoming Tokyo Olympics

BERN: Former world number three Stanislas Wawrinka has withdrawn from the upcoming Tokyo Olympics which will kick-start from July 23.

Wawrinka who is a three times majors champion has won a Gold medal in the men's doubles event at the 2008 Summer Olympics, partnering with Roger Federer for Switzerland.

"He is very disappointed not to be able to play in the Games and represent Switzerland in Tokyo," said a statement by his management team.

"But he is working hard on his recovery and towards his goal of getting back on court as soon as possible."

Wawrinka joins Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Simona Halep, and Dominic Thiem in withdrawing from the showpiece event.

Earlier this month, Wawrinka underwent his second left foot surgery of the year. The Swiss star has constantly struggled to find his A-game since the knee injury in 2017 when he underwent two surgeries in August and skipped the rest of the season that year. Wawrinka claimed the title in Geneva in May that year, and that remains his last ATP trophy.

Wawrinka has played four tournaments in 2021, with a record of 3-3, and has stayed around the 30th spot on the ATP ranking list. He last competed in Doha in March and also underwent surgery on his first left foot later that month.