Former world No. 3 Stan Wawrinka has revealed he plans to ask the French Open organizers for a wildcard into Roland Garros.
Wawrinka, now ranked at No. 236 in the world, was out for a year after undergoing two foot surgeries last year.
In late March, Wawrinka made his long-awaited return to competitive action after being awarded a wildcard into the Marbella Challenger.
On Monday, Wawrinka suffered a first round defeat at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Wawrinka, who entered the Monte Carlo draw after being handed a wildcard, has a strong chance of getting a French Open wildcard.
Wawrinka won the French Open in 2015, before he finished runner-up at the tournament in 2017.
“I only have nine protected rankings I can use and I want to keep them. But I’m sure I will, in the end, have to use my protected ranking because the wildcards will probably have to go to other players,” Wawrinka said, per Tennis Up To Date.
Wawrinka escaped his worst fears
Wawrinka, who turned 37 last month, admitted there were times where he feared he might not be able to come back.
Wawrinka underwent a foot surgery in March 2021 but his recovery wasn’t going well so three months later he ended undergoing a second foot surgery.
“Of course there were those questions in my mind. I was afraid things wouldn’t happen the way I wanted them to happen, and when you have those difficult times and those doubts, you know you need to go through rehab to be able to live a normal daily life anyway,” Wawrinka said.
“So in my mind, one way or the other, I knew I would want to come back. Maybe saying goodbye, having pain would be an option, but for the time being things are going well.
“I can practise a lot, which is good. I hope I’ll be able to do that the whole year.”