French Open win: Out'Stan'ding Wawrinka shows Australian Open title was no fluke

When Stanislas Wawrinka defeated Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final last year, many believed he wouldn't have won his first major had the Spaniard been fully fit that day.

But on Sunday, at Roland Garros, the 30-year-old proved why he isn't 'The Other Swiss' anymore and deserves to have more trophies adorning his cabinet.

That Djokovic had defeated him 16 times in their previous 17 meetings didn't matter. Nor did the fact that the World No. 1 was on a 28-match winning streak. He might not have performed consistently in Grand Slams, but Wawrinka has brought his A-game to the court whenever he has faced Djokovic in the last few years. It is evident from the fact that results of their last four meetings in Grand Slams have been decided in five sets.

Wawrinka decided to break the monotony by defeating Djokovic in four sets on Sunday, depriving his opponent of a career slam as well as a shot at the calendar slam.

As a tennis match progresses into the third or fourth set, a player is expected to lose the power on his strokes. But in Wawrinka's case, the pace and accuracy of his backhand, only gets better and better. Every time he hits a backhand winner, it's a dent in the mind of his opponent, who stands helpless despite expecting it to come any time. The acute angles with which the Swiss hits them, leaves everybody watching in awe of his skill.

Djokovic became his latest victim, as Wawrinka hit 60 winners in comparison with the Serb's 30. Despite Djokovic's exceptional skills of retrieving the ball from impossible angles, Wawrinka's breathtaking groundstrokes were too good for even a player of Novak's caliber to tackle.

What was pleasing to see was Wawrinka's humbleness on court after he defeated Djokovic. Not often do we see two players congratulate each other the way these two did on the Philippe Chatrier Court.

Even when he stood on court for his post match interview, Wawrinka went to Djokovic and expressed his commiserations, which was a pleasing sight to watch in an era of cut-throat tennis.

While a new rivalry is on the cards, the great gesture from both the players showed how much respect they have for each other.

In December 2014, Wawrinka wasn't expected to make life miserable for world class tennis players. He defeated Nadal in the final in January 2014, beat his compatriot Roger Federer at Roland Garros this year and followed it with an incredible win over Djokovic.

Now with two majors to his credit, the Swiss has equaled the tally of Andy Murray. Wawrinka's titles look more impressive since he now has a 2-0 record in Grand Slam finals compared to the Scot who has a poor 2-6 conversion rate.

"I`m not as good as they are. I mean the Big Four. But I`m quite good enough to win two Grand Slam tournaments," a modest Wawrinka said after winning his second major. But as he showed in the French Open final, he is a player who can beat any player on his day. Wawrinka is definitely a special player, someone who has helped intensify the competition on the tennis circuit.

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter.

Try again. Fail Again. Fail better."

Each time Wawrinka wins a Grand Slam, these words of Irish poet Samuel Beckett inked on his left arm would mean much more to him and everybody else who is willing to keep trying.