The four underdogs who have won Grand Slams in the last decade

Another Grand Slam title flows by with one of the Big Four – World No. 1 Novak Djokovic – etching his name on the trophy.Irrespective of what people say about including Andy Murray (two Slam titles) in the same bracket as Novak Djokovic (9),Rafael Nadal (14) and Roger Federer (17), the Scot has consistently maintained his game at a level so as to at least challenge the rest of the three.So who are the other players to have won a Grand slam title during such a period of domination by the Big Four? Astonishingly, there have been only four other players who have won a Major title over the last decade.

#1 Stan Wawrinka - 2014 Australian Open and 2015 French Open

Wawrinka would capture his second major title at the 2015 French Open

The only man to win multiple Majors other than the Big Four from 2003-15, most people expected Stan Wawrinka to be nothing more than the supporting act to Federer in the latter's quest to help Switzerland taste that ever elusive victory in the Davis Cup. But ‘Stan the Man’ accomplished a lot more than that.

After a strong 2013 season,Wawrinka came into his own during the Australian Open, snapping a 14-match losing streak against three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals and beating Tomas Berdych in the semis to set up the title match with Rafael Nadal.

Having lost to the Spaniard in all of his past 13 encounters without winning a single set, Wawrinka was very much the underdog going in to the match. However, he proceeded to tear Nadal apart, winning the match 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to collect his first Grand Slam title overtaking Federer as the top-ranked Swiss tennis player in the world.

Wawrinka would silence what remained of the doubters a year later when he would capture an unlikely French Open crown as well. Beating Federer in the quarterfinals and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals, Wawrinka denied World number 1 Djokovic his chance at a Career Grand Slam.

Oh yeah, and about that Davis Cup – Wawrinka joined forces with Federer to beat France 3-1 in Paris to give Switzerland their only triumph in the team competition!

#2 Marin Cilic - 2014 US Open

Marin Cilic with the US Open title in 2014

When Marin Cilic was found to have failed a drug test and was banned for four months from the game, his tennis future was left hanging in the balance. However, under such a make or break siituation, Cilic came back better than ever.

The Croat hired the only Grand Slam winner from his country – Goran Ivanisevic – as his coach, and returned to the tour at Brisbane in February 2014 where he would be beaten in the quarterfinals, ominously by Kei Nishikori. Cilic would go on to capture titles at Zagreb and Delray beach and was seeded 16^th at the US Open.

At the tournament, he beat Gilles Simon for the first time in five attempts and then defeated Roger Federer in straight sets (first victory in six attempts) to reach a maiden Grand Slam final. There he would meet his old foe Nishikori, who would also be dismantled in straight sets. The victory was the 300^th of his professional career.

Cilic would rise to a career high number 8 in the world rankings and would give a strong performance in the succeeding US Open as well, reaching the semifinals.

#3 Juan Martin del Potro - 2009 US Open

Del Potro would beat Roger Federer for the 2009 US Open title

Juan Martin del Potro has been a thorn in the side of the Big Four for a long time. Though he has an inferior career record against all of them (14-39), he still seems to find a way to win when it matters the most.

Del Potro denied Djokovic an Olympic medal at the 2012 games by winning their bronze medal clash. He beat Federer in consecutive years to win the maestro’s home Swiss Indoors title, and had his Major breakthrough even before Andy Murray had captured a single Grand Slam title.

The Argentine's greatest triumph came at the 2009 US Open, where the sixth seed became the first player to beat Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the same major tournament en route to the title.

After a brave comeback against Marin Cilic in the quarters, Del Potro flattened Nadal in a crushing 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 defeat. He would unexpectedly go on to hound Federer again in the final, coming back from a set and a break down to triumph in five sets.

Del Potro became the first Argentine since Gaston Gaudio in 2003 to win a Grand Slam, and would rise to number 4 in the rankings. He continued his success by beating Federer again at the season ending ATP Tour Finals where he would finish runner up to Nikolay Davydenko.

#4 Marat Safin - 2005 Australian Open

Marat Safin won the Australain Open in 2005

Marat Safin had announced his name on the world stage with a straight sets demolition of Pete Sampras at the US Open final in 2000, and he is the only man in this list to have been a world number 1. The hot-headed Russian’s career had stalled owing to injuries, but if there was one tournament where he was always likely to cause a stir, it was the Australian Open.

Safin had surprisingly lost to unheralded Thomas Johansson at the 2002 Australian Open final, and less surprisingly to Federer two years later at the same stage. But the Russian was slowly finding his old form at the tail end of the 2004 campaign as he captured consecutive Masters series titles in Madrid and Paris. With Federer’s old coach Peter Lundgren at his side, Safin was seeded fourth at the 2005 Australian Open.

With newfound confidence, the Russian made giant strides at Melbourne Park by eliminating a debuting Novak Djokovic for the loss of just three games in the first round and gaining revenge on Federer in an epic five set match in the semifinals.

Safin would meet local hero Lleyton Hewitt in the final in front of thousands of passionate Aussie fans rooting for their countryman to win the tournament in its centennial year. And that looked to be the case when Hewitt took the first set 6-1. But the towering Russian took the next three sets to register an emphatic 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Safin would eventually end his career having reached at least the semifinal stage of all four Grand Slams, leading Russia to two Davis Cup victories and one Hopman Cup final, and becoming one half of the only brother-sister duo (along with younger sister Dinara Safina) to have been ranked World number 1 in singles.

Safin’s last career match would come at the Paris Masters of 2009, where he would be defeated by none other than Juan Martin del Potro.