Springtime in Paris will be even sweeter this year.
French fans will welcome Stan Wawrinka back to Roland Garros.
More: Del Potro's Tearful Farewell
The 2015 Roland Garros champion confirmed he plans to play the clay-court Grand Slam, which starts on May 22nd, in an interview with Le Parisien in Paris.
"Yes, [I will play] Roland Garros, yes," Wawrinka told Le Parisien.
The three-time Grand Slam champion has not played a match since bowing to Lloyd Harris in a three-set Doha last in March of 2021. Wawrinka has been rehabbing two left foot surgeries he had last year that limited him to just six matches.
He told Le Parisien that he longs to embrace the sport for the pure joy of it once again.
"I'm often asked why I'm trying to come back from injury and continue, but it's because tennis is a passion, I love the public," Wawrinka said. "Above all, when I enter a tennis court, I always have in mind that it's a game. The basis of tennis is that you tell a child Go play! There are many who forget it when they turn professional: they take tennis too much as a job. Me, what motivates me and what still pushes me is to tell myself I'm going to play, that I'm going to have fun."
Wawrinka made his major debut at the 2005 Roland Garros reaching the third round. Wawrinka whipped 60 winners, including several brilliant backhand strikes, upsetting Novak Djokovic in the 2015 Roland Garros final.
Last year, he was forced to withdraw while recovering from foot surgery snapping his streak of 16 straight Roland Garros appearances.
Stan the Man flashed his signature stroke, the one-handed backhand, in this recent Instagram video.
Wawrinka has been working with trainer Pierre Paganini during his rehab. Paganini is Roger Federer's long-time trainer and figures to play a pivotal role as the 40-year-old Federer aims to comeback from knee surgery.
In a recent interview with his sponsor, Credit Suisse, Federer said he should know by April or May if his surgically-repaired knee can withstand the rigors of a return to the pro tour.
Photo credit: Roland Garros Facebook