"I love to watch Novak Djokovic play, as much as I was loving to watch Roger Federer play" - Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka was all praise for Novak Djokovic ahead of their clash at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
Wawrinka defeated Argentine Tomas Etcheverry in straight sets on Thursday, July 6. The 38-year-old won 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory on a sunny Court 3 to reach the third round at SW19.
This is the first time in three years that the Swiss player has made it to the third round of a Grand Slam. He will next face Djokovic, an opponent he defeated in the final to clinch the French Open in 2015.
Ahead of the match, Wawrinka praised the Serbian for his achievements and stated that he enjoys watching him as much as he enjoyed watching compatriot Roger Federer play.
"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," he said at a press conference.
"Yeah, like the way he's playing, like he's serving amazing, he's returning everything. He can do everything. I'm not surprised at all [by the number of titles he won at Wimbledon]," he added.
Federer is considered one of the greatest grasscourt players of all time and holds the men's record for most Wimbledon titles. That record, however, is under threat from four-time defending champion Djokovic, who could win his eighth this fortnight.
Wawrinka remains one of the very few men to have beaten Djokovic multiple times in the final of a Grand Slam — 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open. Despite those results in the past, Wawrinka believes that he might not cause an upset by defeating the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
He further added that he is not in contention to win Wimbledon and that he is happy to take the tournament one match at a time.
"There's zero opportunity to win Wimbledon for me, I think. I'm happy to have won today again. I think it was great match. 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," he said.
"I think it's great to play him at least one time here on grass. It's going to be the first time Wimbledon," he added. "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. So it's going to be first time on grass, and it's great. Hopefully I can make a competitive match, but if you will look at recent results, I don't really stand a chance."
"We don't need to answer" - Stan Wawrinka on the greatest grasscourt player in history
While happy to praise Novak Djokovic for his achievements, Stan Wawrinka stopped short of calling him the greatest grasscourt player of all time. Additionally, he refused to give any player that title and stated that he preferred to watch tennis as a fan rather than make such comparisons.
"There will be no answer on that. We don't need to answer. I think Novak is still playing. Rafa didn't retire yet. But I think we can just enjoy. I like to enjoy as a fan, as a tennis fan. I like to watch tennis. So I'm going to be playing tomorrow and then watching the rest of the tournament," he said with a laugh.
Djokovic currently leads Wawrinka 20-6 in the head-to-head record. The two will add another chapter to their storied rivalry when they lock horns on Friday, July 7.