Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka to complete Grand Slam rivalry set with Wimbledon duel

A Grand Slam rivalry set will be completed on Wimbledon's Centre Court after Stan Wawrinka confirmed a third-round showdown with Novak Djokovic.

On Thursday, the 38-year-old Wawrinka defeated No. 29 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. The victory advanced the three-time major winner into the third round of the London major for the first time in eight years, when he reached his second successive quarterfinal, and lined up a maiden grass-court encounter with Djokovic.

“Of course I'm excited, and I'm happy to have the chance to play against him after we played in every other Grand Slam, a lot of other tournaments,” Wawrinka told reporters afterwards. “So it's going to be first time on grass, and it's great.”

A day earlier, Djokovic dispatched Jordan Thompson, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-5 for his 350th Grand Slam match win. The Serbian is bidding to clinch an all-time record-tying 24th major trophy this fortnight after starting the 2023 season by triumphing at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

He took away two Grand Slams from me. That's the role he played, beating me in two Grand Slam finals. —Djokovic on Stan The Man

Over the years, Djokovic has dominated his head-to-head with the Swiss in building a 20-6 advantage. To his credit, Wawrinka’s last four wins were all in best of five, with three coming during his Grand Slam title runs at the three majors away from Wimbledon. It’s a reality that isn’t lost on the Serbian, who finished runner-up to Wawrinka in the 2015 Roland Garros and 2016 US Open championship contests.

“He took away two Grand Slams from me. That's the role he played, beating me in two Grand Slam finals,” Djokovic said with a smile after being asked about the part Wawrinka has played in his career.

“No, I like Stan a lot. He's a great person. Really always inspirational what he's doing at his age. He's almost 40 years old and he still keeps going strong. That's something that not many people can do.”

Beating Djokovic at an event where he is also seeking to equal Roger Federer’s men’s record of eight titles is a lot to ask of Wawrinka, in spite of his prior efforts. With his win over Etcheverry, the Lausanne native went over the .500 mark in grass-court matches at 34-33. Djokovic has more than triple the wins and considerably fewer losses with his 111-18 career mark on the surface. The 36-year-old has claimed his last 29 Wimbledon matches and has posted 40 consecutive wins on Centre Court, a stretch that spans a decade. The facts don't lie, according to Wawrinka.

“There's zero opportunity to win Wimbledon for me,” the current world No. 88 declared.

“I'm playing better each match, and as I say, I think it's an honor to play Novak here. I was missing that on my career to play him in the Grand Slam in Wimbledon. That's the last I never played him, and it's going to be a difficult challenge. Hopefully I can make a competitive match, but if you will look at recent results, I don't really stand a chance.”

The two have met just once in post-pandemic era, a 6-2, 6-2 dismissal handed down by Djokovic in Rome last season. The No. 2 seed, who is 4-4 in his eight Grand Slam showdowns with Wawrinka, wanted to see the matchup come to fruition.

“I hope we get to play against each other because we haven't faced in quite some time. It will be the duel of the veterans of the tour if it comes to that,” Djokovic said. “One of the nicest one-handed backhands that I have ever played against, ever seen. Very powerful player. Very strong. Very complete. He can play equally well on all surfaces.”

Hopefully I can make a competitive match, but if you will look at recent results, I don't really stand a chance. —A candid Wawrinka on his prospects

Djokovic vs. Wawrinka at the majors:

• 2012 US Open R16: Djokovic, 6-4, 6-3, 3-1 ret.
• 2013 Australian Open R16: Djokovic, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 12-10
• 2013 US Open SF: Djokovic, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
• 2014 Australian Open QF: Wawrinka, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7
• 2015 Australian Open SF: Djokovic, 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0
• 2015 Roland Garros F: Wawrinka, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
• 2016 US Open F: Wawrinka, 6-7 (1), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3
• 2019 US Open R16: Wawrinka, 6-4, 7-5, 2-1 ret.