Wawrinka To Sit Out ATP Masters In Indiana Wells And Miami

Stanislas Wawrinka will miss the ATP Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami as he recovers from knee surgery.

Wawrinka, 32, had earlier retired from his Provence Open clash against Belarus’ Ilya Ivashka last week.

It was the Swiss’ fourth tournament since last year’s edition of the Wimbledon Open.

The 3-time Grand Slam champion missed the rest of the 2017 season after he underwent surgery in August.

On his decision to miss out on both tournaments, Wawrinka said: “I need to be patient and give my body the time it needs, but my goal is to come back on the clay.”

“Coming back from a big surgery is complicated and 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.

“I’m working hard on and off court and hope to be back within a few weeks.” he concluded.

The tournament in Indian Wells begins on Monday, March 5 while the Miami event starts on March 19.