Wawrinka wins first grand slam
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Stanislas Wawrinka admitted he was surprised he won the Australian Open and wondered if he was dreaming after his surprise victory over an injury-hit Rafael Nadal yesterday.
The Swiss, who also upset three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, capped a magnificent fortnight with his 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over Nadal for his first major title. “I still think that I’m dreaming. It’s a strange feeling,” he said.
“I’ve seen so many finals. I always try to watch the final of grand slams because that’s where the best players are playing.
“Before today for me, it wasn’t (even) a dream. I never expected to play a final. I never expected to win a grand slam. And right now I just did it.
“To beat Rafa, even if he was injured, I think I played my best first set during the match. I was ready to play four hours or five to beat Novak in the quarters, to beat Tomas Berdych in the semis.”
Wawrinka became the first player since Sergi Bruguera at the 1993 French Open to beat the two top seeds, Nadal and Djokovic.
The Swiss got off to a brilliant start, taking his first ever set off Nadal in 12 matches and going a break up in the second before the Spaniard’s back problem became apparent.
He went two sets up but lost the third as Nadal threatened a comeback, before stepping up to take the fourth set and the championship.
Wawrinka also had a long argument with the chair umpire when Nadal left the court for treatment.
“I just wanted to know what was the problem of Rafa. Because before he asked for the physio, he was checking his feet. I didn’t know really what was the problem,” he said.
“Normally when the physio is coming on the court, the umpire always tells the opponent why he’s coming. He didn’t want to tell me, so I got (annoyed).”
Wawrinka replaces Federer as the No. 1 ranked Swiss player, a position his friend has occupied since 2001.
Earlier, Daniel Nestor of Canada and Kristina Mladenovic of France combined to win the mixed doubles title with a 6-3, 6-2 win over sixth-seeded Sania Mirza of India and Horia Tecau of Romania.
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