adminNEW YORK. — Stan Wawrinka became the oldest US Open men’s champion in 46 years when he defeated world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic to claim a third Grand Slam title on Sunday.
The oldest winner of the men’s tournament since 35-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1970 said a taste for pain helped him to victory and admitted he was shaking and at one point burst into tears before the match.
“You have to accept to suffer and you have almost to enjoy to suffer. Because I think this Grand Slam was the most painful, physically and mentally, that I ever played,” said the 31-year-old from Switzerland.
Wawrinka, seeded third, triumphed 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 after almost four hours of high intensity tennis.
“I was feeling cramp coming in the third set. In the fourth set I had some pain, but the most important thing was not to show anything.”
“I’m not that young anymore,” he added.
It was Wawrinka’s first New York title, following his breakthrough 2014 Australian Open triumph and 2015 Roland Garros crown.
On both those occasions, Djokovic had been the fall-guy, losing in Melbourne in the quarter-finals and ending as runner-up in Paris.
“If you want to beat the No. 1 player in the world, you have to give everything,” said Wawrinka who has won his last 11 finals. I was shaking in the locker room,” he said, adding that during his last minute discussions with coach Magnus Norman, “I started to cry”.
Djokovic, the 2011 and 2015 champion, had been seeking a third Slam of the year and 13th major of his career.
But the 29-year-old Serb finished runner-up in New York for the fourth time after paying a heavy price for converting just three of 17 break points.
Wawrinka, who had to save a match point to beat unheralded Dan Evans in the third round, committed 51 unforced errors but crucially smashed 46 winners past his opponent. — AFP.
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