It paid off in style on Sunday with a third Grand Slam title at the US Open when the 31-year-old defeated hot favourite Novak Djokovic of Serbia to win the US Open with a 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 victory in NY.
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US OPEN champion Stan Wawrinka is adamant he isn’t in the same league as the Big Four – despite drawing level with Andy Murray on three Grand Slam titles. After all, his U.S. Open title gives him three Grand Slam trophies, the same total as Murray, and each one came via a victory in the final against the man ranked No. 1 at the time.
“When we start talking five minutes before the match, last few things with Magnus, I start to cry. If he feels right he doesn’t miss much and he makes a lot of winners so it’s hard to play him”, said Djokovic, who also lost to Wawrinka in the 2015 French Open final.
World number one Djokovic has 12 majors and 66 career titles, Federer has 17 majors and 69 titles altogether while Nadal owns 14 Grand Slams and 69 singles trophies in all. But on break point, he went to retrieve a shot from Wawrinka on his backhand side and sailed the shot wide, giving Wawrinka a two-set-to-one lead. Over and over again, he would get an opening to break Wawrinka, and over and over again that opportunity went by the wayside. I’m playing way better this year than last year.
Wawrinka asked the chair umpire what was going on when the first injury timeout came right before his serve, which was not on a changeover.
“That’s why I said he was more courageous, because he stepped in and played aggressive where I was kind of more waiting for things to happen”.
Djoker dropped out of the Cincinnati Open following his loss at the Summer Games with a wrist injury, and it seems unlikely he was 100 percent for the U.S. Open. After three-set victories in the first two round, Wawrinka had to suffer through a five-set win over Daniel Evans in the third round. Just bad from my side.
Yet he already had gained the upper hand by the time No. 1 Djokovic clutched at his upper left leg and grimaced after missing a forehand while getting broken early in the fourth set. “He was tougher mentally”, said Djokovic, offering two of the highest compliments a tennis player can receive from the talented Serb. “And it’s the first time ever I had that feeling in a tournament and in a match. Because of you I am where I am today”, he said. It was a bad conversion of the break points.
Djokovic didn’t show many ill effects as he won a first set tie-break, but his fourth double-fault of the match handed Wawrinka a break advantage in the second set.
Wawrinka said his fear was down to not wanting to lose a grand-slam final, as he instead improved to 3-0 in major deciders.
Novak Djokovic grimaces with pain during his US Open final against eventual victor, Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland. How many Masters 1000 wins has Murray? “I was shaking in the locker”, Wawrinka said.
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“I’m proud of myself by winning three grand slams”.
