Stan Wawrinka pulls out of French Open due to lack of fitness after foot surgery

Veteran Stan Wawrinka confirmed in March he had undergone a procedure to repair an injury in his left foot and hoped to be out "for a few weeks" until he could begin preparations for the upcoming French Open. 

It's now known he'll be sidelined longer than anticipated. 

Wawrinka officially pulled out of the French Open on Tuesday due to difficulties linked with his recovery from the operation. 

"After having a small surgery on his foot in March, as much as we had hoped he'd be ready to play in Paris, he wasn't able to come back to full fitness in time," a spokesperson for the three-time Grand Slam winner said in an emailed statement shared by Reuters (h/t ESPN). 

The statement continues: "Stan is now working hard with his team for the grass court season and hopes to hit the ground running in June." 

Wawrinka, who turned 36 years old in late March, won at Roland Garros in 2015 and is currently No. 24 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. As of Tuesday afternoon, his most recent update on his recovery was a video shared on May 9.