Stan Wawrinka and a sudden back injury in the finals of the Australian Open put a stunning and sudden halt to Rafael Nadal’s assault on the history books.
Nadal’s path to a 14th Major championship — which would have tied him with Pete Sampras for second on the all-time list behind Roger Federer— will have to wait until Roland Garros after No. 8-seeded Wawrinka stunned No. 1 Nadal, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in the Melbourne final.
“There’s a big chance I get drunk tonight,” Wawrinka told reporters.
For Wawrinka, Federer’s Swiss countryman, his first Major championship came in his first appearance in a Grand Slam final and after he had lost his previous 12 matches — and all 26 sets — to Nadal.
The Big Four of Nadal, Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray had won 34 of the previous 35 Majors, and Wawrinka became the first man outside that group to win a Major since Juan Martin Del Potro at the 2009 U.S. Open.
Wawrinka beat both Djokovic, the three-time defending Australian champ, and Nadal, the 2009 winner, en route to the title.
When the new rankings come out, Wawrinka will ascend to No. 3 in the world while Federer will fall to No. 8
Wawrinka overpowered Nadal in the first set and was up an early break in the second when Nadal appeared to tweak his back after hitting a forehand while serving at 0-2 in the second. He grimaced in pain, called for the trainer after the game and then left the court for about seven minutes.
During that time, Wawrinka engaged in a testy argument with umpire Carlos Ramos. Wawrinka said it was a rule that the umpire had to explain why Nadal had left the court, but Ramos never told him.
When Nadal returned to the court shirtless after the medical timeout, he was roundly booed by the fans in Melbourne.
Nadal had missed seven months in 2012-13 with knee problems — a period during which many openly wondered about his future — and also played this tournament with a half-dollar sized blister on his left hand.
Yet it was his back that was the problem just as he was on the brink of tying Sampras at 14 Majors.
Wawrinka cruised through the second set while a pained Nadal struggled to serve or move to return Wawrinka’s serve.
It appeared as if Nadal might retire during or after the second set but he soldiered on and took a 3-0 lead in the third en route to taking the set. After serving in the low 90 mph-range early in the third set, he got back up over 100 later on.
Warwinka broke Nadal in the sixth game of the fourth set, and held in the ninth game to capture his first Major.
“Sorry to finish this way,” Nadal said in his runner-up speech. “I tried very very hard.”
