After a tremendous slate of matches that saw multiple upsets including Tomas Berdych's defeat of No. 3 David Ferrer and Stanislas Wawrinka's masterful victory over No. 2 Novak Djokovic, the 2014 Australian Open on the men's side has reached the championship match. Thanks to his defeat of long-time rival Roger Federer, No. 1 Rafael Nadal – who upended the 17-time major champion for the 23rd time in his illustrious career – will now battle aforementioned Stanislas Wawrinka, who will be appearing in his first-career Grand Slam final. Wawrinka disposed of No. 7 Tomas Berdych in a four-set thriller 6-3, 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4) to punch his ticket to the final and after watching Nadal defeat Federer in three sets, the 28-year-old is excited about his opportunity to take down the game's best.
“I don't know what to say,” he said following his semifinal win over Berdych. “I'm so happy to be here right now. Finally. I work with coach Magnus Norman every day and he pushes me every day to improve and to fight. I was serving well and playing aggressively. I'm so happy. I have two days to enjoy this. Already last year I had the feeling that I was playing better and that I was dealing better with the pressure also. I'm more mature. I'm 28 now. I've been on the tour for 10 years. Now I feel that it's my time to play my best tennis.”
The Swiss star will now be tasked with upending the top-ranked player in the world and 13-time major champion. Rafa Nadal was brilliant in his semifinal victory over Roger Federer and even though he's been dealing with significant blisters on his left hand, the 2009 Australian Open champion – who owns a career 12-0 record against Stanislas Wawrinka – doesn't find the blisters to be a serious problem. Nadal also noted that he is unbelievably pleased to be back on this stage after battling injuries in 2013, injuries that forced him to miss the 2013 Aussie Open.
“It's really, really emotional for me to be back on this court, Rod Laver Arena, and to be able to play another final,” he said. “I think tonight I played the best match of the tournament. I go on court against Federer knowing that is a really tough match and if I am not playing my best, I will not have the chance to win. Too much talk has come from the blisters. The blister is OK. The problem is the position of the blister, it's difficult.”
With the 2014 final set to take place Sunday in Melbourne, this championship match will be highly entertaining since it pits a 13-time major champion against a hungry 28-year-old looking to claim his first Grand Slam on one of the biggest stages in the sport.
Australian Open Final – Rafael Nadal vs. Stanislas Wawrinka: DATE, TIME & TV INFO
DATE: Sunday, January 26
TIME: 3:30am, ET (Replay at 9:00am, ET on ESPN2)
TV COVERAGE: ESPN
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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