Wimbledon R3 previews and predictions: Djokovic vs. Wawrinka, Musetti vs. Hurkacz

Familiar foes Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka will meet again on Friday at Wimbledon as the tournament approaches being back on schedule. Hubert Hurkacz and Lorenzo Musetti are also taking the court.

Stan Wawrinka vs. (2) Novak Djokovic

Djokovic and Wawrinka will be squaring off for the 27th time in their careers when they clash in round three at Wimbledon on Friday. The head-to-head series stands at 20-6 in favor of Djokovic, but it is an even 4-4 at Grand Slams and Wawrinka has won four of their last five slam showdowns. Somewhat surprisingly, though, they have never met at Wimbledon–and never on grass, period.

Fast forward four years since their last major meeting (Wawrinka won by third-set retirement at the 2019 U.S. Open) and the story will likely be a lot different. Djokovic is obviously still going strong–to say the least!–at 36 years old, whereas the 38-year-old Wawrinka has plunged to 88th in the rankings. The Swiss is still winning his fair share of matches, but he is no longer the slam-winning threat that he was during his prime–when he hauled in one each at the Australian Open, French Open, and U.S. Open. Halfway to this year’s calendar slam and always on red alert when a big-name player is on the other side of the net, Djokovic can be expected to turn in a dominant performance.

Pick: Djokovic in 3

(14) Lorenzo Musetti vs. (17) Hubert Hurkacz

Early returns suggest that Musetti is a quick learner when it comes to grass courts. Still in the early stages of his career at 21 years old, Musetti was winless all time on grass prior to 2023 but has compiled a 6-2 record on it this summer. The 16th-ranked Italian reached the quarterfinals in both Stuttgart and Queen’s Club and now he is into the Wimbledon third round following straight-set beatdowns of Juan Pablo Varillas and Jaume Munar.

Up next for Musetti on Friday is Hurkacz, who trails the head-to-head series 2-1. However, they have already faced each other once at Wimbledon and Hurkacz rolled 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-1 during first-round action on his eventual way to the semifinals. The 18th-ranked Pole has advanced so far this fortnight by defeating Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Jan Choinski in straight sets. This will almost certainly be a lot more competitive than their encounter from two years ago, and it really is one that Hurkacz could lose. But if he can serve well in the pressure moments, the No. 17 seed should have a slight edge given his ability to win free points.

Pick: Hurkacz in 5