Hard luck Wawrinka, but you won hearts!

The single-handed backhand!

Djokovic seemed to be playing his natural game and was considered to have one of the easiest draws to cruise into the semifinals. Stanislas Wawrinka was never counted as a threat coming into the game. Had he not partnered his prodigious countryman to Olympic glory, he would have probably gathered zero limelight. But the next time he plays a Grand Slam, the build-up might be different, thanks to his breath-taking efforts in almost creating an upset against the World No.1.

Nobody plays the single-handed backhand as delicately as Roger Federer. But Wawrinka almost matched his elegance today with some impervious backhand strokes. His mind seemed set right from the beginning, and his body almost worked in unison with it. Surprisingly, his serve looked sharper than that of the Serb as Djokovic was taken for a shock at the Rod Laver Arena.

Generally, when upsets are made in the game, it would always be the case of the stronger one playing at a level lower than his ability. But here, it was the weaker one who raised his game to match his opponent. Stan was certainly a revelation. With the odds stacked up heavily against him, he subdued pressure and strain to let his racket do the talking. His returns were flashy and he never looked like the man to give up the game at any point.

Djoker played some brilliant ground-strokes as usual, but more than half of the strokes were back in no time as they found Wawrinka, aided by some amazing running and marvellous hitting. The entertainment of a game has always been in watching the underdogs dominate the game and Wawrinka’s tireless efforts brought the spectator to his feet. He seemed to have taken a leaf out of Federer’s book, as he remained calm and composed in play, unlike his aggressive opponent.

Djokovic had the last laugh

If the last year’s final between Nadal and Djokovic was the best match at the Melbourne Park, then this epic bettered that one, as there was some amount of anticipation for the former match, but this one looked like something from the blue. Djokovic headed into the tournament as the best bet, with a hat-trick of titles under his grab, while Wawrinka seemed to be a sorry figure, with an early exit from the Chennai Open, which was supposed to be his preparatory tournament.

But Stan Wawrinka left all those aside and put together his forehands, top-spins and drops in precision against Djokovic as he battled for more than five hours, and played tennis in a way that he would have never played earlier. He took the clash down to the extreme wire, but Djoker showed people his class, as he prevailed in the nail-biting encounter.

The Swiss star lost the battle, but he won hearts with a scintillating display of maturity and patience, as the Australian Open witnessed a cracker of a match as early as in Round four, to throw widespread expectations to the remainder of the tournament.