Great Legends Meet on Centre Court

There are tennis players who have been on the tour for many years but still can’t get used to the different circumstances on grass. And there is Novak Djokovic. The Serb not only stands at seven overall wins at Wimbledon, but has not lost at the most prestigious tennis tournament of the year since 2017. Meanwhile, the 23-time Grand Slam winner stands at 30 (!) Wimbledon match wins in a row.

It seems unlikely that this impressive streak will be broken in 2023, because even before the third-round clash between Wawrinka and Djokovic, betting on the Djoker as Wimbledon champion continues to be the lowest odds. The 36-year-old continues to be the measure of all things on this surface and can virtually only beat himself, even at an advanced age. The Swiss veteran will probably have to find that out for himself on Friday evening.

For the three-time Grand Slam winner from Lausanne, the match on Centre Court at the All England Tennis Club in London is of course another huge highlight in the late autumn of his career, which he has absolutely earned thanks to two good wins in the first two rounds.

However, because “Stan the Man” has never been a proven grass court specialist in his extremely successful career and has not been in the second round of a Grand Slam for years, in the end it comes down to predicting a clear success for the world number two in the unequal duel of Wawrinka vs.

Stan Wawrinka – Statistics & current form

Stan Wawrinka is definitely a tennis legend and one of the most renowned players currently on the tour. Among active professionals, only Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have managed to win three different Grand Slams apart from the Swiss. From 2014 to 2016, “Stan the Man” celebrated successes at the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open. Only on grass at Wimbledon did two quarter-final appearances remain the highest of feelings.

The conclusion that grass is the weakest surface for the man from Lausanne is therefore anything but unfounded. It is therefore all the more surprising that the former world number three, who has meanwhile slipped to position 88 in the rankings, at the ripe old age of 38 has actually made it to the third round of the most traditional tournament of the tennis year. For the first time since 2020, the second week at a Grand Slam is now in sight.

How much power is left in Wawrinka?

Admittedly, the odds between Wawrinka and Djokovic paint a very clear picture that the best bookmakers don’t even trust the Swiss to win a set. Bet365 only offers 1.50 for an outright 3:0 win for the favourite, which is still playable in our eyes.

Although “Iron-Stan” has played many important matches on big courts in his career and therefore has enough experience and left a very concentrated impression in his first two matches at this year’s Wimbledon edition against Emil Ruusuvuori and French Open quarter-finalist Tomas Martin Etcheverry, he now probably needs a cream day to make the match against the best grass court player in the world more or less even. Because the 38-year-old’s fitness must also be taken into account, we assume that Wawrinka will go out in round three without winning a set.

It is even conceivable to play handicap bets in favour of the Serb, as the Swiss will certainly have to fear for his own service game from time to time. The fact that “Marathon Stan” made 93% of all points on the first serve in his second-round match against the Argentine Etcheverry should not be overestimated, after all Nole will display a completely different quality in his returns, so that breaks are (regularly) in the air.

Novak Djoković – statistics & current form

When we mention Novak Djokovic in the same breath as Wimbledon, we are always in danger of drowning in superlatives. The Serb has already won the third Grand Slam of the year seven times on the sacred grass in London. In the eternal record list, he is only behind Roger Federer, who has triumphed eight times in the English capital. The 23-time Grand Slam winner would like to set this record this year.

There are few doubts that he will not succeed. Even if the Russian secret favourites like Medvedev and Rublev are there after a year’s absence and Carlos Alcaraz caused a sensation with his incredible power even on the unfamiliar grass, there can be no two opinions about the fact that Novak Djokovic is one of the two or three best tennis players Wimbledon or lawn tennis has ever seen.

Novak unstoppable for fifth Wimbledon year in a row?

Examples? Nole’s last defeat at the prestigious tennis tournament at Church Road came in 2017, when he was struggling with a hand injury against Czech Tomas Berdych. In the meantime, the world number two, who led the rankings for a total of 389 weeks, has won 30 (!) Wimbledon matches in a row. For six years, the family man has not lost a match on the green surface.

The former protégé of Boris Becker jumped the first two hurdles on the way to the eighth Wimbledon triumph of his career and the third Grand Slam victory in the current season with flying colours. Nole had to go into a tie-break once against Pedro Cachin and once against Jordan Thompson, but in the end he prevailed both times in three sets. For the upcoming third-round match between Wawrinka and Djokovic, the prediction of a 3-0 set win in favour of the heavy favourite is once again our preferred choice.

Stan Wawrinka – Novak Djoković Direct comparison / H2H record

Two absolute legends of the past two decades face each other in a direct duel on centre court on Friday night. Wawrinka and Djokovic are already 74 years old, and together they have won an impressive 26 Grand Slam tournaments.

In the head-to-head, of course, the Djoker has the edge. The Serb has won 23 of the 29 meetings. On grass, however, there is now actually a premiere at Wimbledon; never before have the thoroughbred pros faced each other on this surface on the tour. The one-sided Wawrinka vs. Djokovic odds, however, do not change at all as a result.

Stan Wawrinka – Novak Djoković Tip

With great anticipation, but also a teary eye, we look forward to the legends’ meeting on Friday evening on Centre Court at the All England Tennis Club in London. There won’t be many matches between multiple Grand Slam winners Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic at this level of a third round at Wimbledon. In fact, it took until the late autumn of their careers before the Swiss and Serbian were allowed to duel on grass for the first time.

There is no doubt that the world number two and seven-time Wimbledon champion is the overwhelming favourite. In the two-way market, the betting odds between Wawrinka and Djokovic can be safely disregarded. It’s much more about working out the potential clarity of Nole’s success.

In this regard, we believe that anything other than a 3-0 win for the Serb, who is on 30 (!) consecutive Wimbledon match wins, last lost a grass-court match in London in 2017 and has won both Grand Slams so far this calendar year, would be a big surprise.

We see the 1.50 offered for the favourite to win without losing a set as even playable and therefore bet on the aforementioned Wawrinka vs. Djokovic tip eight out of a possible ten notional units.