USA TODAY International Edition
Wawrinka crashes party
Swiss star wraps up U. S. Open crown with upset of top- ranked Djokovic
Stan Wawrinka had played twice the amount of tennis in this U. S. Open as world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, but Sunday evening in the final inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, that only seemed to help.
Wawrinka, the No. 3 seed, put on a fantastic display of power tennis and physical force, overwhelming Djokovic with his onehanded backhand in a 6- 7 ( 1- 7), 6- 4, 7- 5, 6- 3 upset victory.
It is the 31- year- old Swiss’ third Grand Slam tournament ti- tle in three finals, adding to titles from the 2014 Australian Open and 2015 French Open, the latter in which he also beat Djokovic in a dramatic four- set final.
“This is honestly amazing,” Wawrinka said on court. “I came here without expecting, without having the goal to win the tournament. I have played quite a bit of tennis these two weeks; I’m pretty empty. There was so much emotion. This is something that I never had before.”
Wawrinka had clocked nearly 18 hours on court over the six previous rounds, while Djokovic had a bizarre route to the final,
completing three of his matches as one opponent gave him a walkover and two others retired. He was on court for just less than nine hours total entering the final.
Late Sunday afternoon that seemed to play as an advantage at the start for the defending champion, Djokovic jumping to a 5- 2 lead and then securing the first set despite Wawrinka winning the point of the tournament early in the tiebreaker.
But that late first- set surge gave Wawrinka a boost in confidence. He won the next two sets having dropped midset break leads only to break Djokovic again. The third was the more important one, with Wawrinka losing his 3- 0 advantage but then taking it in Game 12 when Djokovic bunted a backhand wide.
It was at the start of the fourth that Djokovic appeared to be cramping, and after going down 3- 0 again, he called for the trainer at 3- 1.
He was treated for a toe issue on his right foot, but ESPN commentator John McEnroe questioned the treatment. “I’m not buying this,” he said on the telecast.
Djokovic said in his post- match news conference that his toenail was “off” and “bleeding,” adding he was not cramping in the fourth set.
“I don’t think it’s necessary for me to talk about that now,” he said. “He won the match. … I don’t want to talk about this, and you guys think I’m finding excuses. It’s just not necessary.”
It was an 11th consecutive win in a tournament final for Wawrinka, dating to 2014, when he started working with Magnus Norman.
Wawrinka was 4- 19 against Djokovic head- to- head in their careers coming in, losing four out of five of their most recent meetings.
Wawrinka becomes the first player to come from match point down to win the U. S. Open since Djokovic did so in 2011, being two match points down to Roger Federer in the semifinals. The win also makes him the oldest U. S. Open champ since Ken Rosewall, who was 35 when he won in 1970.
The late- career success of Wawrinka has interrupted an otherwise Big Four- dominated men’s tour. Djokovic, Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have won 42 of 47 majors since the 2005 French Open, though three of those five belong to Wawrinka. He is a Wimbledon title away from a career Grand Slam.
“He’s been able to produce some amazing tennis in the finals,” Norman said earlier in the tournament.
Wawrinka was asked why he hasn’t been more consistent on tour, having won just one Masters 1000 event and now three Grand Slams. “I don’t care. I’m happy,” he said, the room breaking out into laughter.