Three-times Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka said his prolong injury problems are finally behind him after quarter-final runs in Rotterdam and Marseille catapulted him back into the top 100 in the world rankings.
He returned to the court in March 2022 after more than a year on the sidelines following two operations on his left foot.
The Swiss veteran had said after his first-round U.S. Open exit that he was getting closer to hanging up his racket but he was a lot more optimistic after battling past Aleksandar Vukic 6-4 1-6 6-1 at Indian Wells on Thursday.
“I’ve been practising good so I’m feeling physically and tennis-wise good. Happy to get the win, it’s an important match and hopefully I can keep going,” former world number three Wawrinka told reporters after his first-round victory.