Wawrinka not worried about knee, says he’s ready for Aussie Open

Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka returns against Spain’s Feliciano Lopez during their men’s singles first round tennis match at the ATP Aegon Championships tennis tournament at Queen’s Club in west London on June 20, 2017. AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK

MELBOURNE, Australia — Former Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka says he’s ready for this year’s tournament beginning next Monday after being sidelined from competitive tennis for six months.

Wawrinka hasn’t played since Wimbledon and had left knee surgery in August, forcing him to miss the U.S. Open, where he was defending champion.

“Happy to be back on the tour and seeing the sun. Still a lot to do but I’m feeling really positive so looking forward to starting,” Wawrinka said Tuesday.

Wawrinka, who won 2014 Australian Open, lost in the semifinals last year at Melbourne Park to eventual champion Roger Federer.

Wawrinka is set to join Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios and Lleyton Hewitt in the Tie Break Tens tournament on Wednesday at Margaret Court Arena. Each match is a 10-point tiebreak.