Australian Open countdown: Stanislas Wawrinka
Saturday 17 January 2015 11:42, UK
Stanislas Wawrinka returns to the scene of his greatest triumph as reigning champion on Monday, but faces a big ask in reproducing the sort of form delivered 12 months ago.
The Swiss player saw off both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to land his first Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park, making a mockery of all expectations as he ended woeful losing runs against both players.
Wawrinka produced a fortnight of tennis packed with power and precision to defy the perception of him being a perennial underachiever.
The 29-year-old has repeated his preparations for this year’s event by claiming the Chennai crown again, although he did not face a single top-20 player and lost to Djokovic and Nadal in an exhibition tournament the week before.
That win in India has done little to convince the bookmakers of his credentials of retaining his title – with Sky Bet making him 12/1 for reasons which we shall explore.
His odds may seem remarkable considering the man he ousted in the quarter-finals last year is just evens.
Despite reaching the quarter-finals of each of the othe three Grand Slams, Wawrinka suffered a dip in form in the autumn, losing to players ranked outside the top 10 on nine different occasions. But he did end 2014 on a high with a World Tour Finals semi-final and a Davis Cup title for Switzerland.
But compare that to Djokovic’s record of just three defeats to non top-10 players, seven titles and final four appearances in the following three majors, and the odds look far more reasonable.
While the world No 4 warrants respect, it’s fair to say few reigning champions have returned to Melbourne Park amid such low expectations.
He said…
“I'm looking forward to the Australian Open. It's going to be a strange feeling to come back as the defending champion in a Grand Slam. But right now, I want to enjoy this (the Chennai Open) trophy. It's not every week you win a trophy and it's really tough to win on the ATP Tour.”
Melbourne Park record
Last year’s triumph was all the more surprising given he’d only previously made the quarter-finals at the season’s first major once before, back in 2011.
Proceeding third and fourth-round exits came in contrasting manners, having been crushed in straight-sets by clay-court specialist Nicolas Almagro in 2012 before pushing reigning and eventual champion Djokovic the distance in 2013.
He went one better last year, producing one of the performances of the year to break a 14-match losing streak against the Serb.
Fellow underachiever Tomas Berdych was up next, with Wawrinka prevailing in a winner-fest over four sets.
Nadal awaited in what promised to be the most one-sided of finals, with the Spaniard having won all 12 of their previous meetings without dropping a single set.
However, plagued by a back injury, the two-time champion was overcome in four sets, although a nervous Wawrinka looked in danger of suffering one of tennis’ greatest capitulations as Nadal took the third.
“Wawrinka may return as reigning champion but the form that followed his Australian Open win makes us comfortable with taking him on at hefty odds.
"Such susceptibility against lower-ranked players will make for a nervy first week for those who are backing him, especially if he is handed a tricky draw.
"His record against Nadal and Djokovic also cannot be ignored despite last year’s wins, while he also trails Federer 15-2.
"Coping with the pressure and demands of being champion also complicates his task so we’ll be welcoming interest at double-figure odds.”
