Stan Wawrinka gets honest about his mindset while facing injured Rafael Nadal in maiden Slam final at Australian Open 2014

Stan Wawrinka faced one of the toughest challenges in his maiden Grand Slam final when he took on the then-World No. 1 Rafael Nadal at the 2014 Australian Open. It's human to feel nervous before such a big match, especially against an opponent he had never defeated. Wawrinka has now revealed that he was “feeling his best” on the day of the final.

The Swiss star went on to win his maiden Grand Slam title as he beat Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 at the Rod Laver Arena. It was a monumental win because he had lost to the Spaniard in their last 12 matches and had not even managed to win a set in each of those clashes.

Looking back fondly at that day, Stan Wawrinka recalls how calm and excited he was ahead of the final.

“For me, it was much easier than the semifinal. I was feeling, honestly my best. I remember being in the player’s lounge. Nobody's there, when you're there in the final, it's completely empty. You can choose whatever table you want to grab your lunch. I was really excited in a good way and I was not nervous at all. I knew I was playing my best tennis. Like I said, worst case, what? I'm going to lose the final against Rafa, it’s still going to be an amazing tournament,” Wawrinka said while speaking on the Nothing Major Podcast (10:03 onwards).

Wawrinka became the first player to beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in a single Grand Slam. He also became the first man in 21 years to beat the top two seeds to win a Grand Slam title.

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Stan Wawrinka felt the nerves, but only when he was winning

Stan Wawrinka at the 2025 Australian Open. Source: Getty

The Swiss star recalled how the nerves eventually caught up when Nadal suffered a back injury. Wawrinka realized at that point he had a realistic chance to win his maiden Slam.

“I started to get nervous doing the match when Rafa began to have some back problems. At that moment, I looked to my right, I saw the trophy and I'm like, ‘Oh, maybe I can bring it back home.’ So that's when I started to get nervous. But before the match, I was just enjoying that moment,” added Stan Wawrinka.

Wawrinka became the first Swiss man since Roger Federer to win the singles title at a Major and it was also the first time he went past his compatriot on the ranking chart as he rose to World No. 3.

Stan Wawrinka went on to win two more Slams - the French Open in 2015 and the US Open in 2016. Last year, 39-year-old Wawrinka became the oldest player to win a match at the Swiss Indoors when he beat Adrian Mannarino.

He received a wildcard for the 2025 Australian Open but lost to Lorenzo Sonego in the first round.