Stan Wawrinka looking to follow in Roger Federer's footsteps and become only 2nd man to beat Novak Djokovic at all 4 Grand Slams
Roger Federer is the only player to have beaten Novak Djokovic at every Grand Slam to date. However, Stan Wawrinka now has a chance to join Federer on the coveted list after the former advanced to the third round of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships to set up a blockbuster clash with the Serb.
Roger Federer has beaten 36-year-old Djokovic at the Grand Slams on six occasions. The two came face to face at the Australian Open in 2007, their first outing at a Major, where the Swiss maestro raced to a 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 victory in the Round of 16.
At the US Open, Federer defeated the 23-time Grand Slam champion on three occasions. In 2007 the two faced each other in the final, where Federer won 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 to clinch the title.
The next year, the two locked horns in the semifinal, which Federer won 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2. Federer continued his dominance in New York over the Serb in 2009 as well, beating him 7-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the semifinal again.
At Roland Garros, Federer triumphed over Djokovic just once in his career. He beat the Serb 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 in the semifinal of the French Open in 2011. Federer, however, lost to Rafael Nadal in the final.
Federer's last victory against Djokovic at a Grand Slam came in 2012. He outdid the Serb 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals at Wimbledon.
On the other hand, Wawrinka has gotten the better of Djokovic four times in Grand Slams. His first victory came at the Australian Open in 2014, when he beat Djokovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 in the quarterfinals.
His second win over the Serb was at the French Open in 2015, when he came from behind in the final and won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
At the US Open, Wawrinka conquered Djokovic two times. In 2015, he outplayed the Serb 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in the final. In 2019, Wawrinka won the Round of 16 match after Djokovic retired due to a shoulder injury.
The Wimbledon encounter on Friday will be the duo's first meeting at the tournament. While Djokovic booked his spot in the third round at SW19 with victories over Pedro Cachin and Jordan Thompson, Wawrinka took down Emil Ruusuvuori and Tomas Martin Etcheverry in his opening rounds.
Novak Djokovic leads the head-to-head against both Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka
Federer and Djokovic have come face-to-face on 50 occasions, with the latter leading the head-to-head count 27-23. In Grand Slams, the former World No. 1s have played against each other 17 times, with Djokovic outdoing Federer on 11 occasions.
With 20 wins from 26 encounters, the World No. 2 dominates the overall head-to-head count against Wawrinka as well. The two, however, have the same number of wins against each other in their eight clashes (4-4) at Grand Slams.