Beating Djokovic in 2014 Aus Open a mental breakthrough: Wawrinka
By IANS | Published: April 23, 2020 10:08 PM2020-04-23T22:08:14+5:302020-04-23T22:20:08+5:30
Swiss tennis star Stanislas Wawrinka said that beating Novak Djokovic in the quarter-final of the 2014 Australian Open was a mental breakthrough for him. Wawrinka would go on to beat Rafael Nadal in the final to win his first Grand Slam title.
Zurich, April 23 Swiss tennis star Stanislas Wawrinka said that beating Novak Djokovic in the quarter-final of the 2014 Australian Open was a mental breakthrough for him. Wawrinka would go on to beat Rafael Nadal in the final to win his first Grand Slam title.
"Yeah, it was a mental breakthrough for me, especially the match against Novak. I played him the previous year where the fifth set went to 12-10. So this time I told myself that if it goes that far, I need to win it," the World No.17 told former World No.1 Chris Evert in a live video interview on Instagram.
"So, Rafa's match was different. I was very relaxed. I told myself that I came here to win and I had to play the best tennis I could."
Wawrinka's victory made him the first man apart from his legendary compatriot Roger Federer, Britain's Andy Murray, Djokovic and Nadal to win a Grand Slam title since Juan Martin Del Potro won the US Open in 2009.
He beat defending champion Djokovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 in the quarter-finals after which he beat Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych in the semis. In the final, he beat Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Wawrinka went on to win the French Open next year and the US Open in 2016.
( With inputs from IANS )
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