Wimbledon 2023: Stan Wawrinka has rolled back the years as he will reignite his old rivalry against Novak Djokovic. The 38-year old Swiss rallied past 29th seed Tomas Etcheverry in four sets on Thursday at the Wimbledon. With the victory, he has set up clash against the defending champion, touted already as the ‘Battle of the veterans’.
The unseeded Wawrinka, who is currently ranked 88th in the World showed on Thursday that form is temporary and class is permament. The veteran despite dropping a set, showcased his class and experience on grass as he rallied past Etcheverry with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory. Etcheverry was a man in form as much recently he made it to the quarterfinal at the French Open.
Soon after outclassing the Argentine, Wawrinka was asked the obvious question on his thoughts of facing Djokovic in the next game. He was told that it would be his 26th clash against the Serbian. Even before the question was completed, Wawrinka joked, “Don’t tell me the score.”
He then added, “Will enjoy it if I don’t get killed. He’s been amazing champion to watch. The way he is playing, it’s always special.”
The upcoming clash will also be the first time both the players will be facing each other on grass. “Yea we’ve never played on grass. I am quite happy to have a chance to play against him on grass atleast one time before I finish playing,” he added.
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