Stan Wawrinka withdraws from Rio 2016 Games due to back injury

Stan Wawrinka has withdrawn from the Olympic Games because of a back injury. Switzerland's world number four aggravated the injury during the recent Rogers Cup in Canada and has, therefore, decided not to participate in the Olympic tennis tournament.

The 31-year-old's injury setback means that five of the men's top 10 players will not participate in Rio. Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych, Milos Raonic and Dominic Thiem have all also withdrawn, with Raonic and Berdych citing concerns over the Zika virus for their absence.

"I would like to have witnessed my third Olympic Games," Wawrinka said, according to BBC. "This will not be possible now."

Wawrinka's absence is the latest in an increasingly long list of problems for the Swiss team, for whom Federer, the world number three and 2012 silver medallist, is missing because of a knee injury. As a result, they have just two players – Martina Hingis and Timea Bacsinszky – remaining from their initial six-member team.

Tennis, like golf, has suffered an especially high number of withdraws at this summer's Olympics, owing to injuries and concerns over the Zika virus, which has been linked to brain defects in newborn babies. However, the likes of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, the defending Olympic champion, are set to compete in Rio in August.