Stan Wawrinka will not defend his US Open title and will miss the rest of the season after deciding to undergo surgery on his left knee.
The 32-year-old was troubled by the problem during his first-round loss to Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon and revealed earlier this week he would miss the Masters events in Montreal and Cincinnati. Wawrinka, however, has since made the decision to take direct action in a bid to resolve the problem.
He said in a statement: “I am sad to announce that, after talking with my team and doctor, I had to make a difficult decision to undergo a medical intervention on my knee. This was the only solution to make sure I will be able to compete at the top level for many more years.”
Wawrinka won his third grand slam title in New York last year with victory over Novak Djokovic. Neither will be at Flushing Meadows this year, with Djokovic also calling an early end to his season to rest an elbow problem that forced him to retire during his Wimbledon quarter-final against Tomas Berdych.
It remains to be seen whether Andy Murray will be fit enough to compete as he continues his recovery from a hip problem. The world No1 has withdrawn from next week’s Rogers Cup in Montreal but has not yet announced whether he will play the following week in Cincinnati or at the US Open.
Continuing his statement, Wawrinka said: “This is obviously extremely disappointing but I’m already looking ahead and planning my recovery. I love this sport and I will work hard to get back to my top level and play many more years.”
Wawrinka has been replaced in the US Open draw by Germany’s Florian Mayer.
