Wimbledon 2023: Stan Wawrinka hopes to set record straight after earning Novak Djokovic tie - ‘Don’t tell me the score!’
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Updated 06/07/2023 at 14:11 GMT
There will be a battle between two legends of the old guard in the third round at Wimbledon after Stan Wawrinka continued his run to earn a clash with Novak Djokovic. The Swiss, a three-time major winner, said he did not want to know his overall record against the defending champion ahead of their first clash on grass. "I will enjoy [it] if I don’t get killed," said Wawrinka.
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Stan Wawrinka joked that he did not want to be reminded of his record against Novak Djokovic after earning a clash with the defending champion at Wimbledon.
The Swiss veteran rolled back the years to beat No. 29 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-2 4-6 6-4 6-2 in the second round on Thursday.
Victory earned the 38-year-old, a three-time Grand Slam winner, a battle against another giant of the old guard when he faces seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic.
At the start of his on-court interview, it was pointed out to Wawrinka that the third-round tie will be his the 27th meeting with the 23-time major winner.
Wawrinka smiled and replied: “Don’t tell me the score!”
Despite their regular meetings over the years, this will be the first contest between the pair on grass.
“I will enjoy [it] if I don’t get killed! But of course, he’s been an amazing champion to watch. The way he’s playing, it’s always special,” Wawrinka said.
“We never played on grass and I’m quite happy to have the chance to play him on grass at least one time before I finish playing.
“It’s going to be a big challenge. Hopefully I can play at a higher level and be competitive in the match.
“I’m going to, like I always did against him, try to push to the maximum and we will see what happens.”
Wawrinka, whose best performance at Wimbledon came during quarter-final runs in 2014 and 2015, beat Emil Ruusuvuori before taking down a seed in Etcheverry.
Djokovic defeated Pedro Cachin and Jordan Thompson to reach round three, as he pursues a record-equalling eighth title at the All England Club.
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Stream daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm UK time, as well as the two singles finals live on July 15 and 16, on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
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