Stanislas Wawrinka still couldn’t believe winning Australian Open 2014

It is very understandable that Stanislas Wawrinka said that he still couldn’t believe that he’s just won his Maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, knowing that in the past nine years, only one player outside of the tour’s Big Four, was able to do that feat.

Wawrinka won the Australian Open 2014 title after defeating Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 on Sunday. However, if you ask “Stan the Man” for his reaction, here’s what he had to say.

“I still think that I’m dreaming,” said Wawrinka. “It’s a strange feeling. I saw so many finals. I always try to watch the final of Grand Slam because that’s where the best player is playing. Before today, for me, [it] wasn’t a dream. I never expected to play a final.

“It’s quite crazy what’s happening right now. I never expected to win a Grand Slam. I never dreamed about that because, for me, I was not good enough to beat those guys.”

Wawrinka won his quarterfinal match against three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in yet another five-set thriller. He would go on to defeat Tomas Berdych in the semifinals and Nadal for the title. He became the first man since 1993 to defeat the top two seeds in a Grand Slam event. He will also rise to a career-high number 3 by Monday, effectively making him the new Swiss number one player as Roger Federer’s ranking will drop to number eight.

“To beat Rafa today, even if he was injured, I think I played my best first set during the match,” he said. “I was ready to play four hours or five to beat Novak in the quarters, to beat Berdych in semis. That showed me [that] I’m doing the right thing [over] many years. That if you practise well, if you work hard, you will always have a chance to be in a great position to play your best tennis.”

“To win a [Grand] Slam, to be No. 3, both is a big surprise. I saw Roger winning so many Grand Slams in the past, so now it’s my turn to win one. If you look [at] the 10 past years, except [Juan Martin] del Potro [at the 2009 US Open], it’s only the top four guys who have won all the Grand Slams.”