IF there is one anecdote that outlines the threat Stan Wawrinka poses to Novak Djokovic when the two meet for the US Open men’s singles title today, it is the one from last year’s Wimbledon when the pair practised together, a few days after the Swiss had denied the Serb the French Open title.
“No more big backhands,” Djokovic shouted across the net, with a grin of sorts.
The Wawrinka backhand, one of the most recognisable and most devastating shots in tennis, had done so much to delay (until this year) Djokovic becoming the latest man to join the elite list of players to complete the career Grand Slam.
A year on and Djokovic, the defending champion and world No 1, goes into today’s final in New York as a strong favourite, not least because of his light workload, the beneficiary of one withdrawal and two opponents who could not complete their match this fortnight.
But despite a 19-4 head-to-head record in his favour, the Serb knows better than most what Wawrinka can do when he has the wind behind him.
“He’s a big-match player,” Djokovic said. “He loves to play on the big stage against big players because that’s when he, I think, elevates his level of performance in his game. He just gets much better.”
Wawrinka almost went out to Britain’s Dan Evans in the third round, saving match point before scrambling through. That feeling of having dodged a bullet has inspired Wawrinka in his three rounds since and victories over Juan Martin del Potro and Kei Nishikori have taken him to a third Grand Slam final, having won his previous two.
“I think he was very close to losing in the second or third round in this tournament,” Djokovic said. “He was struggling with his form. But in the last couple of matches he’s been getting in that shape that wins him big matches. I lost to him in finals of French Open and I lost to him in quarter-finals of Australia when he won [in 2014] as well.
“I know right now, having two Grand Slam titles, an Olympic [gold] medal [in doubles] and a Davis Cup win under his belt, he believes in himself more. He doesn’t get too stressed by the bigger occasion; he actually likes playing in big matches.
“He’s very powerful, a powerful player. He has a big serve and probably the best, most effective one-handed backhand in the world now. He can play it all. He has that variety in his game. He can be very dangerous for everybody.”
His relatively easy path to the final has given Djokovic’s sore left wrist time to recover and despite the physical difficulties he seemed to experience against Gael Monfils in the semi-finals, in brutal conditions, he is growing in confidence.
This will be his seventh US Open final and as he chases his 13th Grand Slam title, he says he is free from the pain that almost caused him to miss the event.
“I hoped and I believed that as I progressed in the tournament that things would get better, in which they did,” he said. “So I was, of course, blessed to have more days off with no match, so I could focus on the recovery, work on things in my game and take things easily and to get to this phase. I’m very, very pleased to have achieved this result.”
Wawrinka, meanwhile, believes he can repeat his French Open victory of last year and his Australian Open win from two years ago. “I’m really happy to make the final, it’s something amazing for me,” Wawrinka said. “The secret is simple. I have to play my best tennis, my best game.
“He’s the No 1 player, amazing fighter, amazing player, but I have enough confidence in myself that when I play my best level I can beat him.”
There was a time, not so long ago, when Wawrinka was considered a huge talent, but he remained in the shadow of Roger Federer, lacking the killer instinct of his famous countryman. However, in the past few years, Wawrinka has won two Grand Slams and become a Davis Cup champion and has won his past 10 finals.
“I won 10 in a row the last two years and before that I lost many,” he said. “I think it’s part of my career, the way I became a better player.
“I started to believe better in myself and take more confidence. Again, when you play Novak, even playing your best tennis, you can lose. So it’s going to be, I hope, a big match, and hopefully I can keep winning.”
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