‘I will enjoy against Novak Djokovic, if I don’t get killed’: Stan Wawrinka’s hilarious jibe towards Wimbledon reporter’

Prayers of tennis fans were answered as Stan Wawrinka sealed a thrilling second round win at Wimbledon to set up a third round showdown against long-time rival Novak Djokovic, at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

On Thursday, the Swiss veteran sealed a 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-2 win against Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry, at Court 3. After his win, the 38-year-old was applauded by fans, who had been hoping for a Djokovic vs Wawrinka clash in London.

The pair have faced each other 26 times, with Wawrinka trailing 6-20. But he defeated Djokovic at three Grand Slam events, which he won, including two finals. After his win, Wawrinka was asked about his upcoming match against Djokovic and the court-side reporter mentioned their past meetings, to which he hilariously replied, “Don’t tell me the score.”

Despite the one-sided head-to-head record, Wawrinka has never played Djokovic on grass, which is turning out to be a huge talking point. Speaking about his upcoming Wimbledon match, he said, “I will enjoy, if I don’t get killed. But of course, he’s been an amazing champion to watch. The way he is playing, it is always special.”

“Yes, we have never played on grass, but quite happy to have the chance to play against him on this surface, before I finish playing. It is going to be a big challenge, hopefully I play at a higher level and be competitive like always I have done against him, push him to the maximum and we will see what happens,” he further added.

Wawrinka and Djokovic played in three consecutive Australian Opens (2013-15), with each match going to five sets, a five-set match at the 2013 US Open and a five-set thriller at the 2006 Davis Cup. The Swiss defeated Djokovic at the 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open finals.

On Wednesday, even Djokovic was asked about Wawrinka and he joked, “Well, he took away two Grand Slams from me. That’s the role he played [in my career], beating me in two Grand Slam finals (smiling). No, I like Stan a lot. He’s a great person. Really always inspirational what he’s doing at his age. He’s almost 40 years old and he still keeps going strong. That’s something that not many people can do.”