Stan won the Australian Open in 2014, the French in 2015 and now the 2016 USA open.
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While Wawrinka had signalled his mental toughness, Djokovic was now struggling physically as he pulled up with pain in his left leg at the start of the fourth. That’s why, when he shows his mettle during a match, he likes to point his right index finger to his temple.
After losing the opening set, the 31-year-old Swiss rebounded strongly as he registered a 6-7 (1-7), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 win over top-ranked Novak Djokovic to clinch his maiden title at Flushing Meadows, New York.
“He was the better player”.
The victory was Wawrinka’s fifth in 24 matches against Djokovic, though three of those wins have come in the last three years. “He knew what to do”.
“I just didn’t capitalise at all on my opportunities”.
“Just look at the tournaments they’ve won and how many years they’ve been there”.
“I played quite a lot of tennis, I am completely empty”. Djokovic broke back, but Wawrinka had the final say. He lost 14 times in a row before triumphing over Djokovic en route to his Australian Open title. He took off his both shoes and socks so as the trainer could help him out. Wawrinka complained about the 6-minute break, and Djokovic looked over and apologized. He needed more toe treatment later in final fourth set.
After the match, Djokovic said: “Congratulations, Stan, to your team as well”.
Coming into the match, Djokovic only played three complete matches before entering the final.
“Just before the match, when we were talking, I told him I had a feeling that, this time, I’m even more confident to beat him”. He’s won the last 10 tournament finals he’s contested.
Stanislas Wawrinka admits that he was “shaking” with nerves and crying in the locker room prior to his US Open final win over Novak Djokovic.
Consider this: Djokovic had been 51-0 in U.S. Open matches, and 53-2 in all finals, when taking the first set.
Wawrinka continued to pile the pressure on Djokovic and raced into an early 3-0 lead in the third to sound the warning bells of an upset.
The break in momentum displeased Wawrinka, who received an apology from Djokovic, saying he “couldn’t stand it”.
Certainly Wawrinka gets Djokovic’s vote for inclusion, having taken two of his three titles at the Serb’s expense.
On one point, Wawrinka delivered a shot so hard it knocked the racket from Djokovic’s grasp and against a wall behind the baseline. He wasted two set points against Wawrinka’s serve while leading 5-2, then got broken when he tried to serve out the set in the next game, double-faulting on break point. His newly earned U.S. Open trophy was sitting on the table beside him.
The Swiss was match-point down here to Britain’s Dan Evans in round three but he now has three grand slam titles to his name after first winning at the Australian Open in 2014.
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“You are a great champion and a great person”.
