The former No. 3 has also had a good start this week in Basel, winning 6-4, 6-4 against second seed Casper Ruud in the opening round—one of the best wins of his comeback from foot problems that kept him off the court for most of 2021. He also had double knee surgery in 2017.
“To be able to produce that here in Switzerland is of course something really special,” he said following the win, where his ex-wife, Ilham, and daughter, Alexia, were in the stands.
Currently ranked just inside the Top 200, Wawrinka used a protected ranking for Basel, and will next face American Brandon Nakashima on Thursday.