Stan Wawrinka, of Switzerland, right, and Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, pose for a photo after Wawrinka beat Djokovic to win the men’s singles final of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in NY.
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Sunday’s victory made Wawrinka the first man to win the tournament after saving a match point since – yes, that’s right – Djokovic in 2011.
The world number three was match-point down to Britain’s Dan Evans in round three at Flushing Meadows, before fighting his way back to victory.
Coincidentally, Wawrinka beat Djokovic in the quarter-final stage of the 2014 Australian Open in a match that went the distance. “He was tougher mentally”, said Djokovic, offering two of the highest compliments a tennis player can receive from the talented Serb ranked No. 1. “If someone had told me I was going to play in the final I would definitely have accepted it”.
Wawrinka said he was shaking with nerves before the match, crying even, suffocated by the weight of expectation that he was faced with playing for another major trophy. “I’m very proud of it, so this loss today can not overshadow the great moments I have had in Australia and especially in Paris”, he said.
“I’m fighting with myself to improve, to be a better tennis player, because I have a great team behind me pushing me every day to try to be a better tennis player”.
“We played nearly 4 hours”, said Djokovic, “and I think I can speak in the name of Stan, as well: We both felt it”.
“The Big Four, I’m really far from them”, he said. “Just look at the tournaments they’ve won, how many years they’ve been there”.
Wawrinka has now won all three Grand Slam finals in which he’s played and, all three times, he took down the world’s top player.
Del Potro was then on the upswing in the earlier part of his career, and would go on to win a Grand Slam only three years later; now, the Argentine, who is 29, has enjoyed nothing short of a stellar comeback after several injuries and surgeries sidelined his career for a significant time. They have been there since ten years.
Following Stan Wawrinka’s win at the US Open Sunday, it may finally be time to officially expand the “Fab Four” in men’s tennis to the “Fantastic Five”. That’s why I’m not there. I don’t want to come to the court and lose a final.
He has three majors but only one Masters amongst his 15 career tiles.
Nili’s decision angered Wawrinka, whose momentum in the match was at stake, but the world number three insists he only wanted clarification of the regulations.
His conservatism is also reflected in his head-to-heads with his contemporaries.
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Stan Wawrinka, who defeated the defending champion Novak Djokovic, won his first major at the 2014 Australian Open. “He’s winning five Masters 1000 minimum”, explained Wawrinka. “He’s winning everything or being in the final”. Just put the fight on the court and you will have a chance to win.
