Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/315708
26 ITFWORLD SPRING 2014 AUSTRALIAN OpEN S o, there is life beyond the Big Four. The question that had gripped tennis like the fab foursome of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray had gripped Grand Slam silverware (34 of the last 35 majors) played out at the Australian Open in a scenario no one could have imagined. Stanislas Wawrinka — the self-described 'Swiss who loses' — turned the tennis world on its head, aptly in the land Down Under, taking out defending champion Djokovic in a karmic quarterfinal and a wounded Nadal 63 62 36 63 in the final for his breakthrough major at age 28. From the moment Nadal clutched at his back early in the second set, Wawrinka looked the likely winner. But competitive pride kept the No. 1 fighting out a match he couldn't win but wouldn't quit. It was the final surreal chapter in an improbable fortnight. "I still think I'm dreaming," said the newly-minted major winner, his soft- spoken nature at odds with his brutal, beautiful game. "I never expect to play a [major] final. I never expect to win a Grand Slam. And right now I just did it." The slashing shotmaker became the first to topple Djokovic and Nadal in a major; the first man in 20 years to defeat the top two seeds in a Grand Slam. At No. 8, Wawrinka is the lowest-ranked major winner in a decade. ALL CHANGE IN AUSTRALIA At an upset-studded Australian Open, Stanislas Wawrinka broke the Big Four's dominance of the Grand Slams, while China's game-changer Li Na joined the ranks of multiple major winners. By Suzi Petkovski. Wawrinka revealed that he never thought he'd reach a Grand Slam fi nal Rafael Nadal looked unstoppable until the decider