Wimbledon 2023: Djokovic vs Wawrinka 3rd round preview, Head-to-head record, where to watch

Four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic takes on Stan Wawrinka in the third round of The Championships Wimbledon 2023 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) in London on Friday.

The clash is scheduled to be the last match on the Centre Court on the fifth day of this year’s edition.

Djokovic is chasing his 24th Major title to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record. He is also looking to win his fifth straight Wimbledon championship and eighth overall to tie Roger Federer’s all-time men’s record at the grass court Slam.

The second-seeded Serbian comes into the third round after two straight-sets victories. While he beat Argentina Pedro Cachin 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(4) in the opening round fairly comfortably, he was made to push himself a bit harder in his 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-5 win over Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the round of 64.

The 36-year-old Djokovic is unbeaten at The Championships in the last 30 matches and has not lost a match on Centre Court since his defeat against Andy Murray in the 2013 final.

Stan Wawrinka opened his 17th Wimbledon campaign with a 7-5, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori before following it up with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Argentina Tomas Martin Etcheverry. The Swiss World No. 88, a three-time Major winner, has reached the third round at the grass Major for the first time since 2015.

Head-to-head record

Played: 26 | Djokovic: 20 | Wawrinka: 6

Djokovic vs Wawrinka is a clash between two Major champions. While the Serbian dominates the overall head-to-head record, it is a different situation when it comes to Slams as the record there is 4-3 with Djokovic also conceding the 2019 US Open fourth-round match mid-way due to injury. Wawrinka famously defeated Djokovic in the finals of 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open.

However, this will the duo’s first-ever meeting on grass and it will be a tough task for the 38-year-old Wawrinka to defeat the World No. 2. The Swiss player has struggled with injuries in recent years. He was inactive for more than 12 months after having left foot surgeries in March 2021 and June 2021, making his comeback in March 2022.