The two mega-stars within the sport of tennis did battle against one another for nearly four hours, before Wawrinka was finally able to see out the match, beating Djokovic by a scoreline of 6-7 6-4 7-5 6-3.
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His run in Melbourne included an epic five-set win over three-time defending champion Djokovic and a victory over injury-hit Nadal in the final.
Wawrinka had begun to find his rhythm late in the opener, but by the second set he was in full swing giving his top-seeded opponent cause for concern.
It is not the first time Wawrinka has triumphed over Djokovic in a Grand Slam competition.
Wawrinka improved to 3-0 in Grand Slam finals, adding to his victories at the 2014 Australian Open and 2015 French Open.
The Swiss is only a Wimbledon title shy of a career slam.
“Before the final I was really nervous like never before”, said Wawrinka, who at 31 is the oldest US Open victor since Ken Rosewall in 1970.
Early in what would become a tight test of a U.S. Open final, Angelique Kerber sprinted forward to somehow reach a drop shot and scoop a down-the-line victor to a corner.
“This is incredible. I came here without expecting”.
With Djokovic’s legs no longer carrying the same spring, Wawrinka took the first three games of the fourth set.
After the final, Djokovic said Wawrinka’s ability to produce his best tennis when it mattered most proved the difference.
” I played a lot of tennis and was empty.Emotion with the crowd, atmosphere, and the stadium was awesome.This is an incredible night”. “I came here without expecting, without having the goal to win the match”, he said.
“I don’t want to lose the final in a Grand Slam, that simple. We both felt the demanding match that we played today, physically”.
“As I said, I was feeling exhausted already at the beginning of the match”.
The world number one, however, is confident his physical problems will not affect him ahead of the Asian swing. In the fourth set I had some pain, but most important was what was clear with Magnus before was not to show anything.
Wawrinka trailed Djokovic 19-4 in their career meetings, but the hard-working Swiss saves his best for the big stage and he came through with a superlative performance that extended his remarkable streak to 11 straight wins in tournament finals. Obviously I wish that I could win another title, but this is what it is.
“The Big Four, I’m really far from them”, offered a humble Wawrinka.
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Djokovic had a 46-30 unforced error to victor ratio as Wawrinka won his third major, but the world number one’s biggest problems were on break points where he managed to convert just three of 17. “I decided like eight, nine days before the start of the Open just to try so to play finals, it’s quite fantastic”.
