By Staff Writer: Kate Bauer
MELBOURNE, Australia – After two weeks of insanity that included extreme temperatures, infamous injuries, new rackets, and upsets galore, the Australian Open came to an end on Sunday, January 26. After all that, Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland was crowned the men’s singles champion.
With all the talk about Roger Federer’s new racket, the swings in weather, and the early exits of defending champions Novac Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka, Wawrinka took a surprising victory.
The final tally read 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, with Wawrinka, ranked 8th, over top player Rafael Nadal of Spain, making Wawrinka the lowest-ranked man to win a Grand Slam singles title since 2004 and the lowest-seeded man to win the Australian Open since 2002.
His championship was unexpected to say the least.
Of the past 35 men’s singles Grand Slam titles, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Andy Murray won 34 of them. It was almost all but certain that on Sunday, Nadal would claim the 35th.
“I still think that I’m dreaming,” said Wawrinka when interviewed by the New York Times.
Over the 2 hours and 21 minutes, the crowd assembled in the Rod Laver Arena watched in disbelief. Here were two players, and the one dominating had never won a set, let alone a match in 12 previous attempts against Nadal.
Wawrinka bullied Nadal, something that rarely happens, especially in a Grand Slam Tournament. He served, volleyed, shot one-handed backhands down the line, out positioned his opponent, and won with shotmaking, creativity, and force. To put it simply, he out-Nadal-ed Nadal.
“I was more surprised about how well I was playing,” said Wawrinka.
Although he put up a good fight, Nadal clearly suffered from injuries during the final match. With a blister the size of a quarter on his left hand and severe back pain, the Spaniard took a medical timeout after the second set.
“At the beginning of the second was the key moment that I felt, during a serve in a bad movement, it was very stiff, very bad,” said Nadal.
As Nadal fought through the pain, Wawrinka seemed to be analyzing how he should play, how aggressive he should be. But with the stakes being so high, he couldn’t just ease up.
Even if the back injury slightly overshadowed what he pulled off, there was still elation for Wawrinka. During the tournament he upended the two top seeds, moving him to No. 3 in the next ATP World Tour rankings.
“Before today, for me it wasn’t a dream,” said Wawrinka. “I never expected to play a final. I never expected to win a Grand Slam. And right now I just did it.”
