MELBOURNE, Australia -- Former Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka says he's ready for this year's tournament, which begins next Monday, after being sidelined from competitive tennis for six months.
Wawrinka hasn't played since Wimbledon. He had left knee surgery in August, which forced him to miss the US Open, at which he was the 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 the 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.
