~ Nobody had defeated a World no. 1 and 2 since Sergi Brugera since 1993.
~ Nobody had ever defeated Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in a Grand Slam before.
~ Rarely, anyone has stepped up to win their first GS at the age of 28 in the presence of such stellar opponents..
So what if you have just lost an epic match in just over five hours just 12 months back?
So what nobody predicted you to ever win a GS in the shadows of one of the greatest players in the history of tennis.
So what, you were ranked World No.8 and the Big 4 in tennis has won 34 out of the last 35 tournaments.
So what nobody in their dreams every predicted that you have the talent and ability to win a GS.
But then have you ever heard:
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.
If you haven't, then you should seriously look at a man named Stan Wawrinka who has a tattoo on his hand which says Fail Better.
Stan Wawrinka is the player who has defied everyone today to win his first grandslam at the age of 28, defeating Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic for the first time in the same Grand Slam.
Stan Wawrinka is the man who stepped out of the shadows of his fellow Swiss player Roger Federer, winner of 17 GS to finally define his own glory moment by winning Australian Open for the first time.
Stan Wawrinka is the man who just 12 months back had cried his heart out after losing an epic battle against Novak Djokovic in a match which Stan should have won.
Stan Wawrinka is the man who had lost to Rafael Nadal 12 straight times before finally emerging as winner in the 13th time.
In the entire Australian Open, if there is any player who deserved to win today was Stan Wawarinka. He is the iron man who will now move on to World No. 3 ranking for the first time in his life and what a well-deserved ranking it is for him.
To have defeated the best two players and not to mention who in the history are already booked down amongst the greatest, is a feat which is worthy of unlimited praises.
Take a bow to a player who has suffered so much of pain, losses and lived in the shadow of his peers. He has achieved what anyone before the start of the tournament had thought impossible.
But then they say that
"Disappointment should always be taken as a stimulant, and never viewed as a discouragement."
It is something to look upon to and learn from it to become the best in your field. And the opponent that Stan played against today, Rafael Nadal is the best example of the above quote. Inspite of an injury after first set and three games, he continued to play the match when he could have easily hung up his racquet. Not to mention, Nadal is the same player who was defeated 7 straight times by Novak Djokovic in 2011/2012 before he turned the tables around to win the next six matches out of nine they have played together till now.
But today it is not about Rafa, it is about a player who played his heart out to defy everyone and conquered the Mount Everest in his life.
How many of us would have actually gone and done what Stan has done today? We can look in life and see that there are handful of examples only of mental caliber of Stan Wawarinka who has shown such steely resolve in the times of adversity. If something we have to take out of today's match, it will be just one lesson:
Failures should never make you fall down because success comes from experience and experiences come from bad experiences. So whatever the difficulties that you are facing in life, get up and tell yourself in STAN THE MAN style:
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.
Roger Federer and The Much Hyped Age Factor
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