I deserved Australian Open title, says Wawrinka
Swiss winner shrugs off the issue of injured Nadal, pointing to his tournament form
Stanislas Wawrinka insists he is a deserving winner of the Australian Open after upsetting injury-hit world No 1 Rafael Nadal to gatecrash the established order of men's tennis.
The Swiss eighth seed was on top from the start, eventually winning in four sets, but there will be question marks over the victory after the Spaniard was badly hampered by a back injury.
Wawrinka admitted it was a "big surprise" to win a grand slam title after years in the shadow of fellow Swiss Roger Federer, whom he will now pass in the rankings by rising to world No 3.
It's an amazing feeling. I saw Roger winning so many grand slams in the past, so now it's my turn to win one
In a generation dominated by the "Big Four" of Nadal, Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, the last outsider to lift a major trophy was Juan Martin del Potro at the 2009 US Open.
But Wawrinka, who knocked out a fully fit Djokovic - the three-time defending champion and the world No 2 - en route to his first major final, had no doubts he was a worthy winner.
"It's an amazing feeling. I saw Roger winning so many grand slams in the past, so now it's my turn to win one," the 28-year-old Swiss said.
"If you look at the 10 past years, except Del Potro, it's only the top four guys who were winning all the grand slams.
"I will need time to realise what I did in these two weeks. Because at the end, even if Rafa was injured, I think I deserve that grand slam because I won against Djokovic, the No 2, and I won against Rafa. I had an amazing two weeks, and I was playing my best tennis ever."