‘He took away 2 Grand Slams… Hope we face each other’: Djokovic wary of Wimbledon opponent, it’s not Murray or Alcaraz

Currently participating in Wimbledon 2023, Novak Djokovic will be aiming to match Roger Federer’s record tally of eight titles at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The Serb recently cruised to a historic 23rd Grand Slam title in Roland Garros, defeating Casper Ruud in the French Open final. In doing so, he also set a new men’s singles record and overtook Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam haul. (Wimbledon Live Updates Day 4)

Djokovic sealed an easy 6-3 7(7)-6(4) 7-5 win vs Jordan Thompson in his Wimbledon second round match on Wednesday, and looked like he was a man on a mission. In the ongoing event, only Carlos Alcaraz is considered by many to be Djokovic’s only threat. The pair met in the French Open semi-finals, where Djokovic came out on top in a thriller, winning 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1.

Meanwhile, there is another player in the tournament, who has stopped Djokovic in the past and that is Stan Wawrinka. Wawrinka is set to face Tomas Martin Etcheverry in his second round fixture on Thursday. A victory for the Swiss would mean that he will face Djokovic in their 27th meeting. In terms of head-to-head, Djokovic leads 20-6. But two of Wawrinka’s wins have come in Grand Slam finals, at the 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open.

Speaking during a Wimbledon press conference on Wednesday, Djokovic jokingly pointed out Wawrinka’s role in taking away two Grand Slam titles from him. “Well, he took away two Grand Slams from me. That’s the role he played [in my career], beating me in two Grand Slam finals (smiling). 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”, he said.

“After several surgeries of 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 Olympic gold. He had a fantastic career.”

Djokovic also hoped that Wawrinka would win his match. “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. 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,” he added.