Novak Djokovic demonstrated exactly why he is the premier player on the planet by battling back from the brink to beat Stanislas Wawrinka and reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
The world No. 1 was given a lesson for the best part of two sets, in a similar manner to how Rafael Nadal was against Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon.
Nadal failed to find a way to get the job done, and has not been seen on a court since but – from a set and 4-1 down – Djokovic weathered the storm to move ahead. Wawrinka forced a fifth set, but the defending champion steeled himself once again to claim a 1-6 7-5 6-4 6-7(4) 12-10 win.
Wawrinka laid down a marker in the opening game. He sent a ripping backhand flashing past Djokovic, but three aces from the world No. 1 helped him hold serve.
The barrage from Wawrinka continued, flat missiles on the forehand and precision topspin at pace on the backhand wing, and he broke through in the third game.
Wawrinka won 82% of points behind his own serve in the first set and that cushion allowed him to attack Djokovic. A quite stunning crosscourt backhand that appeared to defy the laws of physics secured him a second break and a 4-1 lead.
A confident Wawrinka showed his full repertoire by ghosting in for a volley and then thrilled the crowd with a superb winner that went round the net post.
Djokovic looked shell-shocked and a truly awful forehand that flew five yards over the baseline summed up the first set. Wawrinka’s effort in the first set was summed up on the final point, as a whipped forehand caught the outside of the line.
It appeared normal service would be resumed as Djokovic regrouped to break at the start of the second. Wawrinka has proved a shade brittle in the past, but he steeled himself to carve out three break points in the following game. He took the second when Djokovic surprisingly netted a backhand.
Djokovic lost his footing on a number of occasions and changed his footwear mid-way through the second set. The change of trainers did not aid him, as winners continued to fly off the Wawrinka racket and he crafted a second break of the second set – a blistering backhand down the line leaving Djokovic a bewildered spectator.
The second break prompted a muttering of disbelief from Djokovic for the first time in the match and the frustration continued as Wawrinka backed up the break with a strong hold – again hitting lines off both wings.
