Copy editors the world over were expected to spend Sunday night slouched at their desks, absently approving articles with predictable headlines: ‘Rafael Nadal pastes Wawrinka for title’, ‘Rafa makes Swiss cheese of Stan for Aussie crown’, ‘Rafael Nadal becomes 1st man in Open Era to win each of the 4 Grand Slam titles twice!’ The Spanish superstar was expected to smash Stanislas Wawrinka in the Australian Open: indeed, the trigger-happy American program SportsCenter genuinely dispatched the third headline online. However, the competition refused to be so predictable.
Following Stanislas Wawrinka’s first round win (a sharp, brief affair), his press conference was sparsely attended. Questions related more to the boiling heat than his own chances. “I’m taking it match after match,” he said, “I’m ready and happy already to get one match.”
For a player who had enjoyed a career-best year on tour in 2013, despite four first-round losses, this was wise. Talented but erratic, and perennially in the cavernous shadow of a certain decorated countryman named Federer, Wawrinka had his 2013 curtailed by two crushing, bitter five set losses to Novak Djokovic. The faintly morose words of Samuel Beckett, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better,” were, by his own declaration, “how I see the life, and especially how I see the tennis life.”
The tournament began much as predicted; the top players advanced, and the sun beat down. The weekend brought disaster. Serena Williams’ 25-match win streak was curtailed by the erratic Ivanovic – a favourite had fallen. Two days later, and the men’s favourite, Djokovic, was embroiled in another five set tussle – with Wawrinka. Stan was dogged, determined, and quite frankly, sick of losing. With backhand after glorious backhand, he eked out the win, and suddenly, everything changed – this was, according to general consensus, now Nadal’s to lose.
And what about the other Swiss? Federer’s fans never stop hoping – even as the wins have dried up, and the autumn of his career has morphed into winter. This past year, he routinely lost to the scrubs he used to eat to breakfast. His backhand, once beautiful, is a liability; his forehand is lost, and his mindset shattered. The path of his career looked to be heading for a desolate place. Tsonga probably fancied his chances. Murray, likewise. Despite his dismemberment by Nadal in the semis, we saw glimmers of the old Federer. So, his fans will continue to keep vigil, hoping for one last gasp.
Li Na, having twice endured bitter losses in the final, was in no mood to suffer fools once she got there again. Cibulkova, a slam final debutant, pushed the first set to a tiebreak and could do little more. Li won, 7-6 (3), 6-0. The smiling, popular champion likely assured her place in the tennis Hall of Fame with this, her
second major victory.
On the final night of the event, Wawrinka
somehow found himself staring down the barrel of victory. He had snatched the first two sets, but Nadal had fought back against this deficit and his own treacherous back to claim the third. The occasion of being one set from tennis immortality could have gone one of two ways for Wawrinka. Many, many of the also-rans in tennis have faced such a situation in matches against the Big Four with far less at stake. They characteristically freeze, choke, spray balls; their minds unravel, and before they know it they are slumped in a press conference chair, bitterly rueing anything and everything they did. Stan, however, did something else. He failed to fail.
Nadal commanded much respect in defeat. Retirement was never an option when it would have robbed Stan of his championship point. He may regret this missed chance; but with the French Open on the horizon, realistically speaking he will be clutching his 14th major in five months. As for Wawrinka, he is now ranked third in the world, trailing Nadal and Djokovic – two players he defeated for the title. For the second time in nine extraordinary years, the chokehold of the Big Four at the majors has been broken – and in what fashion. A guy who can make Pete Sampras say, “That backhand – I wish I had that thing,” is surely one to be reckoned with.
