Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem both lose in comeback matches after injuries at ATP Challenger event in Marbella

Stan Wawrinka’s long-awaited return to tennis ended in disappointment as he went down to Elias Ymer at an ATP Challenger event in Marbella. The three-time Grand Slam champion was beaten 6-2 6-4 in one hour and 34 minutes as he played competitively for the first time since March last year. Ad/> Wawrinka has since had two surgeries on the left foot injury he sustained in the loss to Lloyd Harris at the Qatar Open and faces a long battle to rise up the rankings having slipped to No.232 in the world.

Roland-Garros'I still have what it takes' — Wawrinka excited for comeback after training with Thiem6 HOURS AGO It is the first time Wawrinka, 36, has played on the Challenger Tour since back-to-back tournaments in August 2020, but any hopes of a fairytale comeback ended prematurely in a strong draw that includes former top-10 players Fernando Verdasco and Lucas Pouille. Wawrinka was broken three times in the first set by world No.131 Ymer and struggled to create any opportunities on return. Wilander: Medvedev still needs to improve What does Murray need to work on with Lendl? The second set was more competitive as Wawrinka broke twice to move 4-1 ahead.

However, Ymer hit back and won five games in a row to book his place in the next round. Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem was also making his return from a long-term wrist injury but he suffered a 6-3 6-4 defeat to Argentine Pedro Cachin. Top seed Thiem, who hasn't played since June 2021, also started slowly, falling 5-0 behind against the world No.228.

He improved in the second set but could not get back on level terms after dropping serve in the first game. Both Thiem and Wawrinka caught the eye earlier in the week as they played a practice match ahead of the tournament. />