Stranger Than Fiction: Wawrinka Upsets Nadal in Bizarre Australian Open Final

By Lindsay Gibbs
at Internationaled.org

Published: January 26, 2014

Once again, we were reminded why they play the game.

This was Stanislas Wawrinka's first major final and Rafael Nadal's attempt at winning his 14th Slam. In their previous 12 matches, Wawrinka had never even taken a set off Nadal.

And yet, in a match that seemed scripted by Days of our Lives writers-turned-tennis gods, No. 8 Wawrinka upset an injured No. 1 Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to win the 2014 Australian Open.

It was a confusing match at the best of times and a gut-wrenchingly awful one to watch at others. Wawrinka, whom many thought would be overwhelmed by the occasion, started off the first set on fire. He was taking the ball early, dictating with his backhand and simply forcing the match out of Nadal's hands.

Then, serving for his first set against Nadal in 27 tries, the Swiss underdog went down 0-40. At the time, it seemed like a repeat of a worn-out story—pesky underdog comes out, plays inspired tennis, but then fades when he remembers where he is and, more importantly, who he is.

But in the first true sign that something more than an in-form Wawrinka was bothering Nadal, the Spaniard missed three straight second-serve returns on break points, and Wawrinka won five straight points to close out the set.

Still, it seemed likely that Nadal would find another gear in the second set. Instead, the upset in the making turned downright upsetting.

Early in the second set, already down a break, Nadal began grimacing and holding his back after what looked like a routine forehand. He lost that game and went off court for a medical timeout for his back as Wawrinka, enraged that the umpire wouldn't tell him what Nadal was getting treatment for, ranted and raved for the entire six minutes that Nadal was gone. When Nadal came back to continue play, a head-scratching chorus of boos rang down on him from the Melbourne crowd.
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!