Wimbledon 2023: Stan Wawrinka praises Novak Djokovic ahead of their clash

• Stan Wawrinka has three Grand Slam victories to his name.
• He has defeated the Serbian star six times.
• He will face Novak Djokovic in the third round of Wimbledon on Friday.

In advance of their match at Wimbledon 2023 on Friday, July 7, Stan Wawrinka gave Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic admiration on Thursday.

The 38-year-old, who has three Grand Slam victories to his name, defeated Argentina’s 29th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry by scores of 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, and 6-2 to advance to the round of 32 at Wimbledon.

In his lengthy tennis career, the Swiss played Novak 26 times, but only six times did he succeed in defeating the Serb.

“Have you seen him play (smiling)? Give me one weakness. I think he’s been an amazing player to play. He’s the perfect player. If you look, everything is so clean. He play the perfect shot in the right moment. I love to watch him play, as much as I was loving to watch Roger play,” Wawrinka said at a press conference.

“I will enjoy it if I don’t get killed,” he said. “Novak is an amazing champion. I am happy to get the chance to play him on grass before I finish my career.

“It will be a big challenge and I will have to play at a high level.”

Wawrinka is one of the few athletes who have defeated Djokovic twice in Grand Slam finals. He did so at the 2016 US Open and the 2015 French Open. But this will be the first encounter between the two on grass.

“He took away two Grand Slams from me. That’s the role he played, beating me in two Grand Slam finals,” joked Djokovic after booking his place in the third round on Wednesday.

“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.”

After defeating Jordan Thompson in the Wimbledon second round, Djokovic will now face the Swiss on Friday to continue defending his championship.

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