Novak Djokovic Was Always 1 Of The Big 3 But I Liked Playing Him Most He Fears Me Mostly In Grand Slams Stan Wawrinka

The Swiss does not have the best head-to-head record against the 20-time Grand Slam champion, trailing 6-19. But when it comes to Grand Slams, the two are tied at four apiece – with Wawrinka winning each of their last three encounters.

Wawrinka has beaten the Serb twice at the US Open, and once each at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. Djokovic, on the other hand, has beaten the former World No. 3 twice each at the US Open and Australian Open.

Speaking in an interview with Eurosport Tennis, Stan Wawrinka reminisced about his best matches at Melbourne Park over the years. Having met the Serb every year at the tournament between 2013 and 2015, the Swiss stated that Djokovic’s gameplay most suited his style of offensive baselining.

He further remarked that their matches always brought out the best in the Serb because he knew what his opponent was capable of and rose to meet the challenge.

Wawrinka recalled his quarter-final encounter against the World No. 1 on his way to lifting the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup in 2014. The Swiss revealed that he initially did not feel confident in the match, which led to him losing the first set.

However, he grew more self-assured as the match progressed. The 35-year-old added that he told himself not to let go of the Serb in the fifth set, eventually winning 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7. Wawrinka acknowledged that the encounter “took him to another level.”

“Even though I lost against Novak Djokovic at the 2013 Australian Open, it was one of the most important matches in my life” - Stan Wawrinka

Wawrinka also talked about his match against Djokovic in the fourth round of the 2013 Australian Open, a five-setter that he lost 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7(5), 12-10. Despite the loss, the Swiss said it helped him a “great deal mentally” and credits it as a turning point in his career.

Wawrinka revealed the match taught him that he was capable of beating anyone on his day and could enjoy a better career than he ever had hoped. As a result, the former World No. 3 considers the loss as one of his most important matches.

0 votes