Stan Wawrinka has announced his withdrawal from the 2023 Estoril Open, delaying his much-anticipated comeback to the clay courts.
The 37-year-old three-time Grand Slam champion cited the need for additional preparation time before launching his clay season campaign. Wawrinka's absence is a blow to the Estoril Open organizers, who had eagerly awaited his presence at the event scheduled for April 3rd to 9th, 2023.
However, the entry list includes names such as Casper Ruud, Sebastian Korda, and Pablo Carreno-Busta, and even with Wawrinka's absence, the 2023 Estoril Open promises to be a great spectacle and a very solid ATP 250 event.
In a heartfelt statement, Wawrinka, who is still looking to regain his top form, expressed his disappointment at missing the opportunity to participate in this year's tournament:
"It is with a heavy heart that I will unfortunately, not be able to play in this year's Estoril Open. I would like to thank the organization and João Zilhão, the tournament director for giving me this opportunity."
The former world number three went on to explain that he is not yet ready to compete at his desired level on clay, and offered his apologies to his Portuguese fans.
"Sadly, I need more time to prepare myself for the clay season and am not ready to currently compete at this level, sorry again to all my fans in Portugal that you will not be able to see me play. However, I'm looking forward to hopefully come back next year."
Yet, the former world no. 3 said that he wants to see his fans in Portugal next year, suggesting that he will compete at the Estoril Open in the coming season, but his schedule, or another injury may change those plans for the Swiss player.
For now, he will make sure to recover to be ready to compete at the Roland Garros, a Grand Slam that he managed to win before.
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