Novak Djokovic is cruising through the 2022 Italian Open draw, with Stan Wawrinka being the latest player he bested comfortably at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome.
Djokovic and Wawrinka have had some epic matches in the past, with the Swiss player jokingly blamed by Djokovic for negatively impacting his career legacy. Indeed, Wawrinka did impact the Serbian's legacy negatively because he actually bested him in two very important finals.
They played many times against each other and while Djokovic won the majority of those matches (19), Wawrinka won six of those. Two of those were Grand Slam finals, the 2015 Roland Garros final, and the 2016 US Open final.
With those two in his pocket, Djokovic’s tally would look even more impressive, but it didn’t happen because Wawrinka was simply too good in those two matches.
Funnily enough, Wawrinka beat Djokovic in their first-ever match as well, which was the final of the ATP event in Umag back in 2006. Djokovic won their most recent match at the Italian Open, earning the 20th win over Wawrinka in his career.
After playing a tough match against Laslo Djere in round two and having to play again less than 24 hours later, it was clear that Wawrinka would struggle.
It wasn’t a particularly complicated match for Djokovic because he was in control from start to finish. The Italian Open has been historically a really good spot for him and he showed all of his comfortability on the courts in this match.
The first set lasted only 31 minutes as Djokovic won it 6-2. Wawrinka simply couldn’t handle Djokovic’s baseline consistency, which he marvelously mixed up with some timely drop shots.
Wawrinka’s hitting and speed are not as good as they once were, and the opening set showed that well. The second set ended with the same result as Djokovic stormed past his former rival with ease, earning himself a spot in the quarter-final of the event.
In the quarter-finals, Djokovic will face Felix Auger-Aliassime who has had a really good event as well.
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