The Stan Wawrinka vs Novak Djokovic rivalry is an underrated rivalry, despite the one-sided record, as it got lost in the shadows of the Big 3. The Swiss, who has faced all three icons at least 20 times, recently called the Serb the ‘perfect player’.
Speaking to Ole, Wawrinka handed Djokovic this label when discussing how it felt to play each of the Big 3, as one of the few who challenged for titles during their peak. In fact, he is one of the only three players apart from the legendary trio to win a Grand Slam title from 2010 to 2020.
Interestingly, Wawrinka had the most wins over Djokovic. He beat the World No.1 six times, the same number of wins he had against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal combined. The head-to-head between Wawrinka and Djokovic is 6-21. However, in Grand Slam finals, the former World No.3 leads 2-0. Here is how their rivalry panned out over the years –
2006 and 2007: The initial years of the Stan Wawrinka vs Novak Djokovic rivalry
Wawrinka and Djokovic first met in the final of the 2006 Croatia Open. Like he was prone to back then, the latter retired midway through the second set to hand the Swiss the ATP 250 title. They crossed paths twice again that year, once in the Davis Cup and then in the Vienna Open. Djokovic won the former while Wawrinka bagged the latter.
They faced off again in Vienna in 2007, a clash Djokovic won to level the head-to-head 2-2 at 2007 end.
2008-2013: Lopsided record as Djokovic dominates and Wawrinka goes winless
2008 was the year when Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title and also when he began to race ahead of Wawrinka in their rivalry. He won both their clashes that year, including the Rome Masters final. 2009 witnessed three Stan Wawrinka vs Novak Djokovic matches, the latter again winning it all.
From 2010 to 2013, they met eight times and Djokovic won each time. Overall, he extended his head-to-head lead to 2-15 as Wawrinka failed to come out on top in any of the 13 matches in this phase. His biggest losses came in 2013, namely the semi-finals of the US Open and the ATP Finals.
2014-2019: Wawrinka bags the biggest wins even Djokovic extends lead
Wawrinka broke his winless rut in 2014 by defeating Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the Serb’s favourite tournament, the Australian Open. Djokovic, however, avenged the defeat by winning their next two matches, including the semifinals of the 2015 AO.
Wawrinka, though, claimed the bragging rights after triumphing in the biggest match of the Stan Wawrinka vs Novak Djokovic duel. He defeated his rival in the final of the 2015 French Open to bag his second Grand Slam title. As usual, Djokovic responded by winning their next two clashes.
However, Wawrinka again came out on top at the biggest stage, defeating the defending champion in the final to win the 2016 US Open. His third Majors title also meant the Swiss icon held a perfect record against Djokovic in Grand Slam finals, winning two and losing none. Wawrinka remains the only opponent to have never lost a Grand Slam final against the 24-time champion (assuming that the player has played Djokovic in two or more Grand Slam finals).
Defeating Djokovic in the 2019 US Open round of 16, Wawrinka collected two wins on the trot against him for the first time. Overall, he bagged four of the eight matches in this phase, taking the head-to-head to 6-19. While it was split equally, there is no doubt Wawrinka won the bigger games and held the bragging rights.
2022-2023 (and counting): The final years of the Stan Wawrinka vs Novak Djokovic rivalry
Both years saw one clash each between the two icons. Wawrinka fell outside the top 150 in 2022, gradually working his way back up in 2023. Djokovic, though, took his reign over tennis to new levels during these years. Hence understandably, he won both their matches as well, extending his lead to 6-21.
They last crossed paths in the third round of the 2023 Wimbledon, which Djokovic won in straight sets. With both players still active on the tour, there could be a 28th meeting on the cards in 2024.
