A lot has been said about the Big Three’s rivalry but Stan Wawrinka’s encounters with Novak Djokovic also has a place in the history books.
It was 17 years ago when they first locked horns on the Tour with Djokovic being forced to withdraw from their match at the Umag Open in 2006. Since then, they have faced off against each other on the Tour 26 times in Davis Cup ties, Masters 1000 events and two Grand Slam finals. After his second round win on Wednesday at Wimbledon, Djokovic joked his major trophy tally would have been 25 if it wasn’t for the Swiss player.
The two will lock horns yet again at The All England Club on Friday. Wawrinka set up the showdown after beating Argentine 28th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Registering his 154th Grand Slam main draw win.
“’I’m happy to have the chance to play against him after we played against each other in every other Grand Slam,” Wawrinka told reporters.
“It’s an honor to play Novak here (at Wimbledon). I was missing that in my career to play him in the Grand Slam at Wimbledon.”
There is mutual respect between both players with Djokovic praising the grit and determination of his peer who has missed chunks of the tour due to knee and foot surgeries in recent years. At the age of 38 Wawrinka is the oldest man in the ATP top 100.
“I like Stan a lot. He’s a great person,” said Djokovic. “It’s inspirational what he’s doing at his age. He’s almost 40 and he still keeps going strong. That’s something that not many people can do.’
“After several surgeries on his knees, he keeps going strong and trying to create some more history for himself and tennis. We cannot forget that he’s a three-time Grand Slam champion and Davis Cup winner and also has an Olympic gold. He had a fantastic career.” He added.
It is a somber thought that Wimbledon will be the 27th and possibly final time the two will face each other on the Tour. Djokovic has no intentions of stepping away from the sport anytime soon but what about Wawrinka?
“I have to play my best tennis like I have done in the past but it’s been a long time since I played at that level. Hopefully, I can make a competitive match and I can be there to fight. But if you look at recent results, it’s going to be difficult.” He commented.
Wawrinka has no pressure on him heading into the clash whilst his opponent is chasing after a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title. Even though he admits that his chances of causing a huge upset are rare, the former world No.3 can still see the funny side.
“I like to enjoy tennis as a fan. So I’m going to be playing tomorrow and then watching the rest of the tournament,” he joked.
The head-to-head between the two currently stands at 20-6 in Djokovic’s favor.
