Djokovic’s dream shattered
Dogged Swiss deploys his divine backhand to become oldest Open winner since 1990
STAN Wawrinka (pictured) spectacularly shattered Novak Djokovic’s dream of a career Grand Slam yesterday when he became the oldest winner of the French Open in 25 years. The 30-year-old Swiss claimed a famous 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 victory.
STANISLAS Wawrinka, for so long the Swiss understudy to his legendary compatriot, Roger Federer, spectacularly shattered Novak Djokovic’s dream of a career Grand Slam yesterday when he became the oldest winner of the French Open in 25 years.
The 30-year-old Swiss claimed a famous 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 victory to secure his second career Grand Slam title following his victory in the men’s singles at last year’s Australian Open in Melbourne.
His triumph ended world No 1 Djokovic’s bid to become only the eighth man to secure a career Slam as he slumped to his third defeat in a Roland Garros final in four years. Wawrinka became the oldest champion in Paris since Andres Gomez in 1990. This was the Swiss player’s fourth win in 21 meetings against the Serb.
“It’s really hard to believe but it has finally happened,” said Wawrinka, who fired 60 winners past the Serb.
“It was the match of my life. But bravo to Novak, it’s a great challenge, the biggest one to play him. “It’s a special moment for me.” Yesterday’s shock defeat was only Djokovic’s third in 44 outings in 2015 and ended his 28-match winning streak.
It was also his eighth defeat in 16 finals at the Grand Slams.
“It’s hard for me to speak right now,” said Djokovic who was in tears on the presentation podium.
“I’d like to say well done to Stan. He has a great heart and I have all respect for him. He is a deserving winner.
“But I’d like to say I will be back next year and I will try again.”
Djokovic, playing in his 16th Grand Slam final to Wawrinka’s second, had the Swiss player under siege in the first set.
Eighth-seeded Wawrinka had to save break points in the opening game — which featured a 39-shot rally — and the fifth.
But theworld No 1 finally broke through for a 4-3 lead when Wawrinka served a double fault. The battling Swiss saved two set points in the 10th game — one after a botched forehand put away by Djokovic — and then carved out a first break opportunity. That was swiftly saved and the Serb gobbled up the opener after 43 minutes, celebrating the feat with a mighty, arena-shattering roar.
But Wawrinka, unbowed, cranked up the forehand winners early in the second set although he was unable to convert two break points in the fourth game as Djokovic’s renowned powers of recovery presented an intimidating hurdle to negotiate. Wawrinka saw another break point disappear in the sixth game and in the eighth, it was the same story as Djokovic saved another break point causing Wawrinka to violently smash his racquet into the net in frustration.
But he wasn’t to be denied as Djokovic surrendered the set in the 10th game with a wild backhand, at the same time collecting a warning for destroying his racquet in the Paris clay.
Djokovic was playing for the third day in succession, having needed five sets to beat Andy Murray in the semifinals. He looked suddenly jaded and unplugged as he fought off three break opportunities in the second game of the third set.
Then he dropped serve again to trail 42 and when he carved out a break point in the next game it was his first such morsel since the seventh game of the opener.
It was no surprise when Wawrinka wrapped up the set in the ninth game with Djokovic having no answer to his opponent’s lethal battery of down the line backhands and pinpoint accurate forehand winners. However, the Serb did find a late lease of life for a break at 2-0 and held for 3-0 in the fourth set.
But back stormed Wawrinka, retrieving the break on the back of a 30-stroke rally before Djokovic saved two more break points to go to 4-3. In a roller-coaster fourth set, the Swiss saved three break points in the eighth game and, on the back of three of probably his finest ever backhands, broke for 5-4. It was another textbook backhand that won him the title on a second match point.
Compatriot Roger Federer, the 2009 champion who lost in the quarterfinals to Wawrinka , tweeted simply: “CHAMP.”
The odds had been stacked heavily in favour of Djokovic. He led 17-3 in their head-to-heads and was on a 28-match unbeaten run. Wawrinka was in just his second Grand Slam final.
Some key points in a match in which he managed to break that sequence:
At 3-3 in first set, Wawrinka twice mishit on his backhand drive to set up three set points and then he presented Djokovic with the first break of the match with an ugly double fault;
Wawrinka banged the net in frustration after failing to convert any of five break points in the second set;
He produced four superb successive winners to break Djokovic’s serve for the second time. He led 4-2 and this proved enough to give him a 2-1 lead in sets;
Djokovic had his back to the wall at the start of the fourth set, but grabbed a lifeline when Wawrinka handed him three points for the break and a 2-0 lead;
Wawrinka levelled at 3-3 and, at 3-4 down, won five straight points from 0-40 down to hold serve, clearing the way for his winning push.