Stan Wawrinka still fancies his chances against Novak Djokovic ahead of this week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, despite the world No.1 being unbeaten this year.
Djokovic won both the Qatar and Australian Opens last month and the 28-year-old Serbian comes into Dubai - where he has won four times in nine appearances - as the clear favourite, particularly as record seven-time Dubai champion Roger Federer has withdrawn through injury.
The next best challenger present this week, second seed Wawrinka may have only beaten Djokovic four times in 23 meetings - all on clay or hard courts – but the 30-year-old Swiss World No. 4 won’t be daunted should they meet again this week.
“We’ve had tough battles in Grand Slams,” said double major-winning Wawrinka, who beat Djokovic in the final of last year’s French Open, and in the quarter-final of the 2014 Australian Open, before beating Rafael Nadal in the final.
“They haven’t been that tough in two set matches, because normally he beats me easily, but in Grand Slams when we play I always play my best tennis, and my game from the baseline with the forehand makes me feel like I can beat him.”
Djokovic only lost six matches last year, three of which were to Federer and one of which was that French Open defeat to Wawrinka. One of Djokovic’ three defeats to Federer was also last year’s Dubai final. It was the third time Djokovic had been beaten by Federer in the emirate with the other exits coming in the 2007 quarter-finals and 2014 semi-finals.
“The past year it seems he’s only lost to Roger, not many other people have beaten him, especially here,” Wawrinka added of Djokovic. “Normally he plays well on any surface, so I’m sure if he’s fit and ready like he normally is he’s going to be tough to beat.
“He’s dominating tennis and playing on a different level than all the other players and he’s winning all the big titles, except a few. He’s No. 1 by far and has started the year the way he started last year. So, it will be tough to beat him, but the year is long and I’m sure there will be opportunities.”
This will only be Wawrinka’s third appearance in Dubai, having previously suffered two Round of 32 exits in 2006 and 2008.
“For many years I didn’t play here, but I wanted to change a few things in my calendar,” added Wawrinka, who so far this year, has won in Chennai, reached the last 16 in the Australian Open and was knocked out in the quarter-finals in Marseille. “The last time I came here was in 2008, so it feels like a new tournament and it gives you good energy to change things sometimes.”
