As a pivotal power unit in the hydraulic transmission system, the axial piston pump plays an important role in numerous engineering fields. Slipper-swashplate pairs are one of the three key friction pairs (slipper-swashplate pairs, cylinder-valve plate pairs, and piston-cylinder pairs) in axial piston pump, which significantly affects the service safety of piston pump. The wear of slipper-swashplate pairs is the main reason for the failure of piston pump. It is of great significance to study the service damage and protection measures of slipper-swashplate pairs for the development of piston pump to high speed and high pressure technology. In this review, the basic working principle of axial piston pump was firstly presented in brief. Secondly, the formation and three functions (lubrication, sealing and bearing) of the lubricating oil film in the clearance of slipper-swashplate pairs as well as the measurement method and affecting factors of oil film characteristics were systematically elaborated. Then, the wear mechanism, wear affecting factors and wear state evaluation method of slipper-swashplate pairs were expounded. Based on the oil film characteristics and wear mechanism of slipper-swashplate pairs, the design method for life extension and failure protection measures of the slipper-swashplate pairs were emphatically explored, such as the design method of optimizing the material matching and prolonging the life of the slipper-swashplate pairs, and the surface modification method of improving the tribological properties of the slipper-swashplate pairs surface by surface texturing and solid lubrication coating. Surface texturing was to process a geometric array with a certain shape, size and regular arrangement on the surface of the slipper-swashplate pairs material by micro-nano machining means to collect wear debris, store lubricating medium or produce hydrodynamic effect to enhance lubrication and reduce wear, while solid lubrication coating improved the bearing capacity of the slipper-swashplate pairs surface and enhanced the self-lubricating performance of the slipper-swashplate pairs by changing the organizational structure of the substrate surface. Finally, the future research direction of slipper-swashplate pairs in axial piston pump was prospected.