Wawrinka will skip Indian Wells and Miami to rest his injured knee

Stan Wawrinka to skip 2 American events to rest injured knee



LONDON (AP) — Three-time Grand Slam singles champion Stan Wawrinka is skipping hard-court events in the United States to rest his injured left knee.

Wawrinka says in a statement he will miss the Masters-level Indian Wells and Miami events to prepare for the European clay-court season.

The 2015 French Open champion says "coming back from a big surgery is complicated" and his body needs more time to heal.

Wawrinka, who will turn 33 during the Miami Open this month, ended his 2017 season with knee surgery in August.

He lost in the Australian Open second round in January, then the first round at the Rotterdam indoor tournament, before retiring from his second-round match last week in Marseille, France.

Wawrinka's ranking has dropped to No. 12.

The 14th annual Desert Smash charity tennis event is Tuesday, March 6, and there are many reasons to mark your calendar. Here are just five of those reasons, including the event's host, Serena Williams.

Desert Smash is the kick off to Indian Wells, which will be broadcast on Tennis Channel over the next two weeks.

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