The victory against the current number 3, Andy Murray, in the quarterfinal match of the US Open 2013 must have really done Stanislas Wawrinka good. Accordingly, he appears confident, calm and concentrated in his 1st semifinal match of a Grand Slam tournament. Right from the start he continues with Djokovic where he ended with Murray: With impressive backhand longline passing shots, a strong forehand, convincing winners and precise shots against which opponents are powerless. And to the surprise of many, he takes the 1st set 6:2. Now his fans could really dream of entering the final.
The first turning point
The second set was also promising at the beginning and Wawrinka was leading 4:2, but then Djokovic seemed to turn up, seemed more aggressive, more determined, more precise and got the break and soon equalized 4:4. Impressive rallies followed, one with 22 shots. At 5:6 against Wawrinka, he has to save himself for the tie-break if he still wants to win the 2nd set. On the 1st serve, Stan shows a weakness: double fault on serve and it's 0:15 against him. But with strong serves and winners, he wins the game. Wawrinka shows his coolness and plays impressively, confidently against the number 1 of the world. But Stan's confident first serves are still in short supply, the statistics speak of 44% at this point.
The tie-break is a real nail-biter. Djokovic takes a 2:0 lead, but with a winner and a great backhand passing shot Wawrinka levels the score at 2:2. But then another double fault on Wawrinka's serve and it's 4:2 for Djokovic. This is followed by a crazy ball change with 27 shots and a forehand winner by Wawrinka 4:3. Stan shows tremendous guts and fighting spirit. Now it's Djokovic's turn again and he makes good use of his serves, which is why he wins the tie-break in the end and takes the 2nd set. Now it's 6:2, 6:7 Wawrinka:Djokovic.
The calm before the storm
The 3rd set looks balanced, a bit calmer, it seems both players have to pay tribute to the pace and the energy-sapping rallies in the 2nd set. Wawrinka wants to win his games and his tenacity pays off: When Djokovic wants to serve for 4:4, he loses his service game and it is 5:3 for Wawrinka. But Djokovic does not give in and tries to turn the tide again. Wawrinka serves for 6:3, the score is 30:30 and now an incredibly long rally follows until Djokovic hits the net out of exhaustion. Stan closes the bag with a winner and takes the 3rd set. Now it's 6:2, 6:7 and 6:3 for Wawrinka.
The test of patience
The 4th set starts promisingly: Wawrinka delivers very strong returns, super backhand winners. But the game turns around: Djokovic takes his game and Wawrinka is suddenly down 0:40 on his own serve. Is he getting cocky, careless? He catches up at 30:40 and then double faults again and it's 2:0 for Djokovic. At 4:1 against Wawrinka, Stan takes a medical time-out and disappears into the catacombs. There are rumors about groin problems of Wawrinka. To Djokovic's annoyance, he stays out longer than expected. When he returns to the court, he looks somewhat refreshed, but he starts to miss more shots. Perhaps he lacks patience? One sometimes gets the feeling that he lacks patience, as if he wants to win right now, when he is leading in sets. That should take its revenge: In the end, it's 6:3 for Djokovic and the sets are tied: 6:2, 6:7, 6:3, 3:6 Wawrinka:Djokovic.
The eternal tug of war for the break
After the 4th set and the way things have gone so far, the first doubts arise as to whether Wawrinka can manage to defeat Djokovic and enter the final. Does he still have the strength and the nerves? Wawrinka starts the set, immediately makes mistakes and is down 0:30. But he fights back and wins his game. Wawrinka impressed with strong serves at over 200 km/h, with precise strokes, but he was often too impatient at the decisive moment and made unnecessary errors. When he takes his time and allows long rallies, he wins. At 1-1 and on Wawrinka's serve, it comes to an unbelievable game that should last more than 20 minutes. At 40:40, it comes to a deuce. Here Djokovic tries to strike the death blow and tries to break Wawrinka at all costs. In the end, we count 5 break chances for Djokovic, 12 x deuce and admire a fight that has it all: Wawrinka shows super longline balls, as only a champion can play them: He has what it takes to win. And in the end, Wawrinka takes his game, leads 2:1 and has successfully fended off Djokovic's persistent break attempt. Many now think: "Now he's done it", many believe this is the decisive turning point for Wawrinka. But things are to turn out differently. After Djokovic easily takes a game and closes the gap to 2:2 in the set, Wawrinka comes under pressure again on his next service game and is soon down 15:40. Djokovic strikes and gets the break for 3:2 and takes a 4:2 lead in the final set. Wawrinka does not give up, but the first serve remains his weakness. He fights his way back to Djokovic, it's 4:5 Wawrinka:Djokovic in the last set, but Djokovic is too experienced to let him take this chance and after more than 4 hours he takes the set 4:6 and the match 6:2, 6:7, 3:6, 6:3, 4:6 Wawrinka:Djokovic.
In the end, Wawrinka really didn't miss much. If he had served better and not missed so many first serves, the match would probably have gone to him. Djokovic came under pressure in the match, but he showed that it's not just about technique or heart, but also about experience, sovereignty and unshakable belief in himself. He never doubted himself and was always able to step it up a notch in the necessary moments. Djokovic deservedly moved into the final, but Wawrinka made an incredibly strong name for himself internationally with his performances at the 2013 US Open. This was a new Wawrinka, an incredibly strong Wawrinka, an all inspiring Wawrinka: chapeau for this performance! There was a reason why the crowd went wild and cheered him on, Stan captivated them with his irrepressible will to win and with his heart and won them over! Keep it up, Stan, and the first Grand Slam victory can and will come.
The interviews after the match
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[youtube url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WGl5fFRrr4″ width="560″ height="350″]
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