Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/315708
ITFWORLD SPRING 2014 27 www.itftennis.com Most bizarre of all for the man all but branded the Swiss No. 2 for life, Wawrinka left Melbourne ranked No. 3, five places above the great Federer. Talk about flipping the script. Wawrinka had an air of destiny about him after winning a payback quarterfinal over Djokovic 26 64 62 36 97 in the match of the tournament. "Last year I had a crazy match, I lost it. I was crying a lot after the match," reflected the Swiss of an unforgettable fourth-round that stretched to five hours and 12-10 in the fifth set. Wawrinka won a world of respect for the way he took self-belief out of that crushing defeat. If it was his fate, as Wawrinka believed, to always fall short against the top players, he would at least fail epically, living out the words of Samuel Beckett tattooed on his left arm: "Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." Others will no doubt take hope from Wawrinka's example of "failing better." Namely Tomas Berdych, who lost a vice-tight 63 67 76 76 semifinal to the winner. But for a couple of untimely double-faults, it could well have been the strapping Czech facing Nadal in the final. And first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Grigor Dimitrov, distraught at missing a regulation forehand that would have given him a 2-1 set lead over Nadal in a torrid 36 76 76 62 loss. Dominika Cibulkova beat four Top 20 players It was third time lucky for Li Na in an Australian Open fi nal