"It's always special to play against him" - Wawrinka on facing Djokovic

Stan Wawrinka’s comeback gathered pace on Wednesday as he was “rewarded” for his latest Italian Open win with a third-round clash against world No 1 Novak Djokovic.

After winning his first match in 15 months with a first-round victory over Reilly Opelka in Rome on Monday, Wawrinka followed it up with a battling 7-6 (10-8), 3-6, 6-4 defeat of Laslo Dere. It was a tricky match for the Swiss as the Serbian had a break in hand in the final set but Wawrinka battled back taking advantage of Djere's tired legs.

After the match, Wawrinka talked about facing Djokovic saying:

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“It’s not the best prize, but it’s always special to play against him. I’m not where I want to be yet with my game, with my fitness level, with my mental (game). I need those matches, so to have a chance to play against the best player, it’s going to be really difficult for me, that’s for sure.”

He further said:

“Novak, it’s going to be tough. A tough challenge for sure. I don’t think I’m ready to play at that level yet, but it’s going to be interesting to see. I need to get through those matches the next few months.”