He demonstrated it again
Sunday, upsetting the world No. 1, 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 7-5 6-3, in a bruising
four-hour US Open final to win a third grand slam title. To the side of
the court on Arthur Ashe stadium in New York, "9/11/01" was inscribed 15
years after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the city.
Djokovic
sizzled at the start, racing to a 4-1 lead. But in allowing Wawrinka to
find his way into the first set, the match veered in a different, and
for Djokovic, displeasing direction. Djokovic was broken to end the
second and third sets, before suffering physically in the fourth.
Normally ruthless in converting break points, he slumped to 3-for-17.
The
31-year-old Wawrinka possesses thunderous strokes able to penetrate the
perhaps unparalleled defense of Djokovic, with his versatile one-handed
backhand attracting the majority of the plaudits. But don't forget the
forehand, which is among the most punishing around.
Wawrinka, who struck a stunning 46 winners, became the oldest men's champion at the US Open since Ken Rosewall in 1970.
"This
honestly is amazing," Wawrinka said during the trophy presentation. "I
came here without putting a goal to win (the tournament) but every time I
stepped on the court I was trying to win every match.
"I
think I played quite a lot of tennis these last two weeks. I'm
completely empty. I had to bring everything I had today against Novak."
Whereas
Djokovic has won four grand slam matches in a row against Wawrinka's
fellow Swiss, Federer, five straight against Murray and the only one he
contested against Nadal since 2015, he is merely 3-3 in his last six
against Wawrinka.
Who was the last
player to down Djokovic in a grand slam final? Wawrinka, at the 2015
French Open when he also conceded the first set. Now he took a bite out
of Djokovic in the Big Apple.
This after saving a match point against Dan Evans in the third round. How Djokovic must have wished Evans completed the job.
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