Wawrinka overwhelms the mighty Nadal
Correspondent | Tuesday January 28, 2014 14:33
Wawrinka overwhelms
the mighty Nadal
T
here was so much that was uplifting about Stanislas Wawrinka's four-sets win over Rafael Nadal to take his first major - even though the Swiss might have finished the job in three sets had he not temporarily lost focus when a rare back injury threatened to force the world No1 to quit.
Yet he was not handed the Australian Open title. He still had to wrench the match away from the most obdurate fighter in the game.
Wawrinka played his best tennis in the hour before Nadal's back went on him, his worst when the Spaniard was a walking target and found enough resolve at the end to finish the job properly, after his opponent had returned to nearly full working order.
Victory by 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours and 21 minutes earned Wawrinka $2.3 million (£1.4m) and a jump from No 8 to No 3 in the world, leapfrogging the man in whose shadow he has played all of his tennis, Roger Federer, and who he is happy to call 'the greatest player ever'.
But it is Wawrinka who is the Swiss No 1 now (Federer, who lost to Nadal in the semi-finals, slips to No 8 in the world when the latest rankings were released yesterday) and expectations will be higher than ever before because of his achievement.
He will lead Switzerland's team in the Davis Cup against Serbia in Novi Sad on January 31 in the absence of Federer, who last week declined to make himself available for the tie.
That has been a bone of contention between the two of them in the past, but this was not the time to intrude on Wawrinka's party by reminding him of it.
Two of his 19 aces helped him lead 4-1 within 17 minutes, and his notorious nerves settled. Nadal showed no sign of discomfort and could do little to stop Wawrinka taking the first set in 37 minutes of high-quality hitting.
When Wawrinka broke him to love at the start of the second, the Spaniard looked unsettled and started feeling the base of his back.
After butchering a forehand at 30-15 in the third game, he bent double, his face a landscape of pain. He held, but then retreated to the physio's room for treatment.
Wawrinka questioned the chair umpire, who declined to tell him what Nadal's injury was, as he is obliged to do.
This created the false impression that Wawrinka was complaining about him leaving the court. When Nadal returned, the confusion deepened and the crowd booed him. (The Guardian)
Yet he was not handed the Australian Open title. He still had to wrench the match away from the most obdurate fighter in the game.
Wawrinka played his best tennis in the hour before Nadal's back went on him, his worst when the Spaniard was a walking target and found enough resolve at the end to finish the job properly, after his opponent had returned to nearly full working order.Victory by 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours and 21 minutes earned Wawrinka $2.3 million (£1.4m) and a jump from No 8 to No 3 in the world, leapfrogging the man in whose shadow he has played all of his tennis, Roger Federer, and who he is happy to call 'the greatest player ever'.But it is Wawrinka who is the Swiss No 1 now (Federer, who lost to Nadal in the semi-finals, slips to No 8 in the world when the latest rankings were released yesterday) and expectations will be higher than ever before because of his achievement.He will lead Switzerland's team in the Davis Cup against Serbia in Novi Sad on January 31 in the absence of Federer, who last week declined to make himself available for the tie. That has been a bone of contention between the two of them in the past, but this was not the time to intrude on Wawrinka's party by reminding him of it.Two of his 19 aces helped him lead 4-1 within 17 minutes, and his notorious nerves settled. Nadal showed no sign of discomfort and could do little to stop Wawrinka taking the first set in 37 minutes of high-quality hitting.
When Wawrinka broke him to love at the start of the second, the Spaniard looked unsettled and started feeling the base of his back.After butchering a forehand at 30-15 in the third game, he bent double, his face a landscape of pain. He held, but then retreated to the physio's room for treatment. Wawrinka questioned the chair umpire, who declined to tell him what Nadal's injury was, as he is obliged to do. This created the false impression that Wawrinka was complaining about him leaving the court. When Nadal returned, the confusion deepened and the crowd booed him. (The Guardian)