 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Stan Wawrinka, who captured his maiden US Open title and first grand slam trophy of the year after defeating world number one Novak Djokovic, is unable to contain his excitement.
Despite losing the opening set, the 31-year-old Swiss continued to play aggressively as he defeated Djokovic 6-7(1), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in a gruelling contest that lasted almost four hours at Flushing Meadows, New York.
Jubilant with the victory, Wawrinka said he had come to the final without having any expectation of winning against Djokovic.
"This is honestly amazing. I came here without expecting, without having the goal to win the match. 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. My goal is to give everything I have and be the best I can be," he was quoted as saying by Sport24.
The Swiss player also lauded Djokovic for pushing him to his limits during the highly entertaining clash.
Djokovic, who was seeking his third Grand Slam title of the season after Australia Open and French Open, paid a heavy price for converting just three of 17 break points.
Djokovic, however, admitted that he was outplayed by Wawrinka in the summit clash.
He said that Wawrinka deserved to win the title as he was the courageous player in the decisive moments
The World No 1 insisted that the 31-year-Swiss was the better player as he was tougher mentally.
With the win, Wawrinka has become the oldest US Open men's champion in 46 years.
Earlier, Ken Rosewall held that record when he won the tournament in 1970.