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What's the story?
Whilst it seems that the 2019 season only just finished, the 2020 season is already looming and it will not be too long before it is here. Recently, it was announced on the official ATP Tour website that Stan Wawrinka will once again vie for his first Doha title.
The tournament is scheduled to begin on 6th January and alongside Stan Wawrinka, a string of other popular tennis players will also feature, with Tsonga, Raonic, and Rublev all due to compete in the first tournament of the upcoming tennis season.
In case you didn't know
Stanislas Wawrinka has won 3 Grand Slam titles, beating either Nadal or Djokovic in the final of all 3 of those Grand Slam triumphs. To put his Grand Slam success into perspective, the Swiss has won as many Grand Slams as Andy Murray has. Unlike the Scot, however, Wawrinka has won at least 1 title at 3 of the Grand Slams, whereas Murray has only won at Wimbledon and the US Open.
The heart of the matter
Like Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka's 2019 season was largely hampered by injuries. This has impacted the Swiss number 2's ranking as he now sits outside of the top 10. Given that the Australian Open will also take place in January, Wawrinka will no doubt be hoping for a successful tournament in Doha to lift his ranking.
Stan Wawrinka made the quarter-finals last year, before being beaten by Spain's Bautista Agut. Should he perform better this year then he will get some much-needed ranking points as well as potentially the title.
Although he has reached the final in the past, that was 11 years ago. Furthermore, with some of the other major tennis stars also featuring in the upcoming tournament, Wawrinka will not have the easiest of tasks in winning his maiden title at Doha.
