Another Grand Slam champion is set to make an appearance at the Citi Open. Joining Andy Murray on the men's side is Stan Wawrinka, who was granted a main draw wildcard into the tournament. The Swiss has struggled this year and hopes this wildcard can turn his season around.
Wawrinka and Murray are just two big names that will be making an appearance at the tournament's 50th Anniversary. Players such as Alexander Zverev, Kei Nishikori, Kevin Anderson, David Goffin are just a few of the names who hope to win one of the leadups headed into the Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati.
Adding To His Capital Experience
This will only be Wawrinka's second ever appearance at the Citi Open, making his debut in 2010. His run didn't last very long though, losing in his opening match to David Nalbandian.
Can He Turn It Around?
Since his return from knee surgery, the Swiss has struggled mightily, looking a shadow of his former self. Wawrinka is 6-10 on the season and has not made a final so far since his return.
He returned at the Australian Open and lost in the second round to American Tennys Sandgren and looked unconvincing, going down in straight sets. His second tournament back was his best result, making the semifinal in Sofia before losing to Mirza Basic.
His losing streak reached four straight after losses to Tallon Griekspoor (Rotterdam), Ilya Ivashka (Marseille), and Steve Johnson (Rome). His rut finally ended after defeating Jared Donaldson but lost right after to Marton Fucsovics.
His ranking took a major dip after the French Open, where he was defending finalist points. He lost to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the opening round in Paris after being two sets to one up. In Queen's he picked up a win over Britain's own Cameron Norrie but once again, could not follow it up as he lost to Sam Querrey.
The following week he lost to Andy Murray, also making a return from injury, before heading to Wimbledon. At SW19, the Swiss upset Grigor Dimitrov and hoped that win would really kick-start his season, but a loss to Thomas Fabbiano in the second round ended marked another early exit at a Grand Slam.
