Three things Wawrinka needs to do to beat Nadal

Rafael Nadal meeting a Swiss tennis player in a Grand Slam final is not a rare occurrence. But not many would have picked Stanislas Wawrinka to be that Swiss opponent in the Australian Open final on Sunday.

Yet here we are – Nadal, having taken out the other Swiss tennis player, Roger Federer, in the semi-finals now takes on Wawrinka, who will replace Federer as the top-ranked Swiss player in the world on Monday..

Nadal goes into the final as the overwhelming favourite – a win on Sunday would give him his 14th Grand Slam title, equalling Pete Sampras on the all-time list, and taking him only 3 shy of Federer’s 17. On the other hand, 28-year-old Wawrinka has reached his first Grand Slam final in his 36th attempt – the second most appearances it has taken a player to reach a slam final in the Open Era after David Ferrer in his 42nd attempt.

Besides the odds, the head-to-head is also heavily stacked against Wawrinka. The Swiss has not managed to win a set, let alone a match, against the Spaniard in 12 career meetings (four of them last year). But then again, he had lost to Novak Djokovic 14 times in a row before turning the tables on him in the quarters. So can Wawrinka do what the G.O.A.T. has been unable to do so?? Here are the 3 keys that Wawrinka will need to get right if he hopes to have any chance of beating Nadal.

Serve Well

Wawrinka’s serve has been incredible all through the tournament. The Swiss has always had a decent serve but it is now a weapon, relying on his serve to get him out of pressure situations. Wawrinka will need to continue hitting his serve hard, getting a good percentage of first serves in and putting pressure on the Nadal serve whenever he sees a chance.

Backhand Variations

Wawrinka’s one-handed backhand has always been one of the most fluid shots in the game. But suddenly he is hitting it with supreme power and confidence. Nadal has always had the upper hand in his matches against Federer as he hits his heavy forehand to Federer’s weak and shank-able backhand. We saw that again on Friday as the Swiss repeatedly tried to engage in backhand-to-forehand rallies with Nadal. Perhaps a sign of stubbornness or a sign of a tactical error, Federer hardly sliced when the ball was on his backhand.

We saw Baby-Fed Grigor Dimitrov stretch Nadal to four sets using his topspin loopy backhand and his backhand slice, slowing the pace of the game. That tactic worked wonders for Dimitrov and if I’m Magnus Norman. I’m going to be telling Wawrinka to utilize the slice much more during the match. Wawrinka had also been chipping back most of his returns against Djokovic in the quarters– something he should continue doing against Nadal as well.

Stay mentally strong

For years, Wawrinka was known for his inability to close out matches under crunch situation. But since hooking up with Magnus Norman, Wawrinka has become much stronger mentally. The 2008 Olympic doubles gold medallist himself says, “Already last year I had the feeling that I was playing better, but I was dealing better the pressure also. I’m more mature. I’m 28 now. I’m on the tour since 10 years. Now I feel that it’s my time to play my best tennis. I’m enjoying more what I’m doing, when I’m winning, and also maybe I know more how to deal with all the pressure around.”

Wawrinka could be a bundle of nerves on Sunday and go down tamely to the Spaniard. Or he could use that nervous energy to motivate and inspire himself to play the best match of his life. Anything less, would surely mean a Nadal victory.