Nadal vs. Wawrinka: Australian Open Title Solidifes Wawrinka’s Elite Status

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at Internationaled.org

Published: January 27, 2014

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At the 2014 Australian Open finals, Stanislas Wawrinka faced Rafael Nadal for the 13th time in his career having never won a set off the Spaniard. Four sets later, he had shocked the world's No. 1 tennis player and hoisted his first Grand Slam trophy. With the win coming on the back of a strong 2013 season, Wawrinka has cemented himself as a new star in men's tennis. 

Nadal was racked by injury during the match, but he had nevertheless reached the finals and was coming off of a convincing 7-6, 6-3, 6-3 semis win over Roger Federer. Nadal overcame a large blister on his hand to advance to the finals, but he needed a medical timeout in the second set against Wawrinka due to back issues. 



Nadal rallied to steal the third set, but Wawrinka bounced back to claim the title 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. The victory included a variety of his blistering backhands that impressed former great Pete Sampras. 

The Swiss was beyond humble and downplayed the victory over the ailing Nadal, saying, "It's really not the way you want to win a tennis match, but in a Grand Slam final I'll take it," (via CBS Sports). Nadal remains stuck on 13 majors, but he gets his favorite surface for the next try at Roland Garros in May. 



Intense heat was also a factor earlier in the tournament, and it seemed to affect stamina in the later rounds for some players. 

Deservedly, Wawrinka improves from No. 8 to No. 3 in the world for the highest ranking of his career. His five-set quarterfinals takedown of Djokovic was even more impressive than his finals win. And his semis victory over No. 7 Tomas Berdych was no small feat either, taking the third and fourth sets 7-6 to close it out. 



He is now the first player ever to defeat Djokovic and Nadal in the same Grand Slam tournament, and the win produced other notable stats according to the ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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