PETE ZIEBRON
2014 Australian Open Champion Stan Wawrinka has given hope to nearly everyone on the ATP Tour. Charles Gabrean Photography
Last month in Rotterdam, Tomas Berdych made a statement to the rest of the field of the ATP with respect to Stan Wawrinka's Australian Open Championship:
- “Stan showed us that it is possible to win a Grand Slam. It was important to realize that if you work hard, then everything can click together and you can make it in the end. It isn’t only the right of two or three guys."
Despite the fact that the next Grand Slam will not be contested until May, the ATP field has decided to take matters into its own hands and immediately challenge the best players in the game. Even though only half of the 3rd round has been completed at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, the results have been staggering:
- #1 Rafael Nadal loses to #31 Alexandr Dogopolov in the 3rd round
- #1 Rafael Nadal drops 1st set to 35 year old #50 Radek Stepanek 2-6, wins 7-5 in 3rd set
- #2 Novak Djokovic saves 2 set points in first match v. #87 Victor Hanescu
- #5 Tomas Berdych loses first match to #53 Roberto Bautista Agut
- #6 Andy Murray loses 1st set in 1st match to #47 Lukas Rosol
- #6 Andy Murray loses 1st set in 2nd match to #77 Jiri Vesely
- #7 Roger Federer is broken when serving for the match v. #123 Paul-Henri Mathieu
- #7 Roger Federer is taken to 2 tiebreakers v. #30 Dmitry Tursunov
- #10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga loses first match to #65 Julien Benneteau
Ironically, Rafael Nadal has only won 4 of the last 10 sets he has played on hard courts and in losing the 3rd set tiebreaker to Dogopolov tonight, falls to 3-8 in final set tiebreakers in ATP Masters 1000 tournaments played on hard courts.
- AUS Open Final Wawrinka d. Nadal 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3
- Indian Wells 2nd Nadal d. Stepanek 2-6 6-4 7-5
- Indian Wells 3rd Dogopolov d. Nadal 6-3 3-6 7-6(5)
Meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka is undefeated in 2014, winning his 13th consecutive match this year today, defeating Andreas Seppi 6-0 6-2. Next up for Wawrinka will be South African Kevin Anderson.
The players on the ATP Tour are playing fearlessly against the very best in the game. They are knocking on the door, just as Wawrinka did in Australia. Stepanek, Hanescu, Tursunov, Rosol and Vesely have come close to doing damage, while Dogopolov, Bautista Agut and Benneteau have already recorded impressive results thus far at Indian Wells.
Let's see just how far and how long The Wawrinka Effect will last in 2014.
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