Stan Wawrinka defied the odds as he won the Australian open in dramatic fashion… The new Swiss number 1 beat Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 and in doing so has won his first Grand slam title.
Saying this, Nadal was visibly hurt after a set and a break but Rafa’s injury seemed to hamper Wawrinka more than it did the world number one himself. At times Wawrinka was unplayable and Nadal’s injury seemed to knock his concentration as he wavered for a set and errors crept into his game. Then with his newly built mental toughness Wawrinka recovered to take the fourth set and the match. Gracious as ever due to the Spaniard’s injury Wawrinka’s celebration was not too emotional but he had this to say: “I still think that I’m dreaming” when asked about the grand slam triumph hours later. The only question that should be asked of Wawrinka now is where to go from here?
The new world number three (as of Monday’s rankings) has the full package. He showed this by beating Novak Djokovic and Rafa either side of a comprehensive win over Tomas Berdych. He has a forehand that has many different elements to it and a much improved serve that sees him hit aces consistently. The main talking point however is his one-handed backhand. Lets be honest, it is the best one-handed backhand in the world. He has proven last year that he can defend and neutralize with that weapon and then light up the crowd with exhilarating winners too. This all proves that Wawrinka has the tools to win more majors and be at the forefront of world tennis with Djokovic, Nadal and Andy Murray going forward.
If Wawrinka wants to be there he has to show that he is deserving, the way is as follows; win tournaments and challenge for big events consistently. No doubt he is capable of this but looking back at last year there was tournaments where he will have to improve to show that he is capable to the public and his peers.
Examples where he needs to improve are: Masters events, he needs to win more of those type of events, and also put in a better showing at Wimbledon where he lost to Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets. That type of inconsistency can not be present in the world number three this year to prove that his Aussie open triumph was not a one off.
Next, Wawrinka needs to make sure that he does this as it is vital to success: Turn up in big matches. To be fair to the guy he has done a good job so far, but will have to maintain the level of play he has established against the big boys if he wants to have his name on a few more trophies come the end of the year. The issue though is that you can’t play against the best if you don’t get past the rest.
My prediction
Predictions for tennis are hard to do as it is a unusual sport with twists and turns around corners you didn’t even know were there. Take our man Wawrinka for example, ask the majority before the Australian open did you see Stanislas Wawrinka winning the whole thing? My answer is the same as everyone else, a definite no. So bearing this in mind how will Wawrinka do in the slams this year? The Australian Open champ should head into the French open full of confidence as he now knows he has what it takes to beat anyone in the world. His best result at the French was last year where he played Rafa in the quarters and lost comfortably. With his newly found confidence and if he sustains his ranking until then he could possibly be drawn into Djokovic’s or Nadal’s side. This is fine as he would not meet them until the semis providing he gets there. Taking this into account I predict quarters and beyond for “Stan the Man.”
Now onto the SW19, The all- England club. The worst of the Grand Slams for Wawrinka. He has only reached the fourth round and the last two years he has fallen at the first hurdle. This represents a great challenge for Wawrinka and he will have to show just how for he has come. I predict a fourth round or possibly quarters for the man from Lausanne.
Lastly and the most promising for Stan is the U.S Open and from last years semi-final epic against Novak Djokovic he will take confidence heading into the hard-court event. This should represent his best chance to win another major as he can beat anyone on the hard court as we have seen these last two weeks. I predict semis, final or another title for a man who is on the up.
If my predictions are to be correct Wawrinka will have a year to remember…
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