‘After the match, I was completely empty’

“After the match I was completely empty. I put everything on the court. Today I was trying to stay with him. I was trying to be tough with myself. Trying not to show anything. Not to show any pain. Not to show any cramps. Not to show anything. I was suffering on the court, but I’m happy and proud with what I have achieved today.” 

After dropping the first set in a tie-break, the Swiss threw himself behind every ground stroke to draw even, then closed out his third win in as many Grand Slam finals when the ultra-fit Djokovic wavered physically in the fourth set. 

“You have to expect to suffer and you have to almost enjoy suffering,” Wawrinka said. “I was already feeling tired at the beginning of the match. I was feeling the cramps coming in the third set. In the fourth set I had some pain, but the most important was what I discussed with (coach) Magnus Norman before the match. 

“Today, before the final, I was nervous like never before. I was shaking in the locker room. When I had a final chat with Magnus, five minutes before the match, I started to cry. I was shaking,” Wawrinka revealed. “But I was convinced that my game was there. If I put up a fight on the court, I had a chance to win.” 

Wawrinka had struggled against British Daniel Evans in the third round. “I don’t play my best tennis in the first rounds, but I tried to find a way to improve each match,” Wawrinka said.