On the other hand, Wawrinka himself feels he is not ready yet to make his way into the Big Five and instead wants to focus on winning more titles in his career.
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Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka beat world number one Novak Djokovic with a scintillating display to win his first US Open and third Grand Slam title.
The 31-year-old Wawrinka is the oldest U.S. Open men’s champion since Ken Rosewall was 35 in 1970, and entered Sunday having spent nearly exactly twice as much time on court as Djokovic during the course of the tournament: about 18 hours vs. about 9 hours.
Until losing in the third round at Wimbledon against Sam Querrey, Djokovic had won 30 consecutive Grand Slam matches, becoming only the third man – and first in almost 50 years – to win four consecutive major titles.
“Before the final I was really nervous like never before”, Sky Sports News quotes Wawrinka as saying. Considered to be always under the shadow of his Swiss Compatriot, Federer, the 31 year old has finally stepped out and has managed to win a Grand Slam consecutively in the past three seasons.
“They have been winning everything and I think it is just not fair”.
‘This is wonderful, ‘ Wawrinka exclaimed after the match. I’m proud of myself by winning three Grand Slams. Just put the fight on the court and you will have a chance to win.
The victory was also more remarkable because he came from being a set down to win in four sets; for Djokovic held a record of 51-0 in matches in which he had won the first set.
In the fourth set, Djokovic began to experience cramps and was having trouble moving on the court. Subsequently, Djokovic appeared to be cramping and called his trainer on to the court, much to the dismay of his opponent. In the fourth set I had some pain, but most important was what was clear with Magnus before was not to show anything. He kept his cool.
Novak Djokovic believes 2016 US Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka deserves to be mentioned in the mix of top tennis players. Fans and Wawrinka became frustrated at certain points with the delays in an already grueling match.
Wawrinka was up a break and 3-1 when umpire Ali Nili allowed Djokovic to take the six-minute break, even though rules state time-outs can only be taken at that point if there is an “acute medical condition”.
In the end, that was the difference.
‘I didn’t know if I was going to come a few weeks before because I struggled physically.
“Just look at the tournaments they have won, how many years they’ve been there”, said Wawrinka, who has won just one Masters-level tournament. But no matter the circumstances, Wawrinka was still too good for Djokovic.
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For Djokovic though, the loss will be a bitter pill to swallow as he would have been looking to secure his third grand slam title of the year after triumphs at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.
