Injuries are every athlete’s worst nightmare. They don’t just affect a player’s form—they can reshape entire careers. And now, tennis fans are holding their breath as Swiss star Stan Wawrinka finds himself in the middle of a health scare. Known for his fierce fighting spirit, Wawrinka has faced tough times before, but this latest update has sparked serious concern among his loyal fans and the tennis community at large.

Wawrinka has failed to achieve much recently. He has witnessed early exits in most of the tournaments that he has played this season so far. But just when he would have expected some positivity, an injury has forced the 39-year-old to take a back seat again. 

The Swiss engaged in an interview with Var Matin and opened up about his woes. He also revealed that he would not be participating in the Challenger tournament in St. Tropez. But what caught the attention of the tennis community was his heart-wrenching admission about his tennis career in general. 

Speaking in the interview, Wawrinka said, “I don’t know when I’ll be able to play again.” This statement is surprising given the usual resilience of the veteran who has believed in himself and has come out of adversity several times. He might have hinted at his possible retirement with this statement. This, however, is not the first time that the 3-time Grand Slam winner has faced such a health crisis.

For Wawrinka, dominoes started to fall in 2021 when he suffered a foot injury at the beginning of the season. The Swiss player went through two surgeries on his road to recovery. While he thought it would be a matter of a few weeks, he had to witness a hiatus of 13 months before he made a return to the tennis courts in 2022. For a player of Wawrinka’s caliber who could beat even Rafael Nadal on his day, not to be able to fulfil his potential has indeed been painful and he has talked about it previously.

“That’s my personal goal” – When Stan Wawrinka opened up on his unfinished dreams

Stan Wawrinka was once a formidable force to reckon with on tennis courts. But once he went downhill, the ATP star failed to regain momentum for a long time. Wawrinka is currently placed at 235 in the World rankings. But despite his age and the struggles, he wishes to return to the scene once again and fulfill his unfinished goals. 

Speaking to Express, the veteran said, “I would love to win a title again, that’s my personal goal. And the rest is about doing the right thing every day, pushing yourself to be the best I can today at my age where I am in my career it’s really important to control what you can control.”

Well, Wawrinka can’t control the injuries. For that matter, no player can. But as he said, preparing himself the right way and being ready to face the challenges that come his way is something that he can do and he has been trying to do that. As the season progresses, it remains to be seen if Stan Wawrinka comes out of his struggles and makes a dominant return to the sport anytime soon.