Stan Wawrinka reigned at the US Open, lifting his third Grand Slam trophy at Flushing Meadows after beating Novak Djokovic in four sets on Sunday.

Here’s what players and others had to say about his achievement in New York City:

?✨?? @stanwawrinka the man #champ pic.twitter.com/wfCjzmWDuH

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) September 12, 2016

Congrats @stanwawrinka and @DjokerNole, it was a great @usopen final!! Stan, great champion!!

— Juan M. del Potro (@delpotrojuan) September 12, 2016

Huge performance from @stanwawrinka – he knows how to raise his game for the big ones! The level at the top of the game is #insane

— Jamie Murray (@jamie_murray) September 12, 2016

Congrats to all at the @usopen Well played my mate @DjokerNole and to the new champion @stanwawrinka amazing effort pic.twitter.com/A49F3MIL4O

— Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) September 12, 2016

Big congratulations to @stanwawrinka. So good against Novak. Beautiful to watch. Can beat anyone and does so with style today. #USOpen

— Pat Cash (@TheRealPatCash) September 12, 2016

Stan the man, just brings the big game when it really matters. Congrats @stanwawrinka @usopen #Clutch

— Rohan Bopanna (@rohanbopanna) September 12, 2016

Incredible @stanwawrinka! Congratulations on a great tournament, another major championship & solidifying your place in tennis history!

— Kevin Anderson (@kevinanderson18) September 12, 2016

Well done @stanwawrinka ???? @DjokerNole for this amazing final @usopen #StanTheMan, you are a great #Champion #NYC #Tennis #USA #USOpen

— Nicolas Kiefer (@Nicolas_Kiefer) September 12, 2016

Congratulations @stanwawrinka unbelievable two weeks. From down match point to @usopen champion. 3-0 in finals. Big match player

— James Blake (@JRBlake) September 12, 2016

Unreal @stanwawrinka congratulations. Epic physical performance, done it again impressive @usopen #USOpen

— Matt Ebden (@mattebden) September 12, 2016

Chapeau @stanwawrinka ??? #BigMatchPlayer

— Daniel Vallverdu (@danielvallverdu) September 12, 2016

Might have been the best Grand Slam Final I can remember watching. It had EVERYTHING #USOpen2016

— Christopher Eubanks (@chris_eubanks96) September 12, 2016

As for the US Open champion, his reaction was:

? pic.twitter.com/AHj7KOMY4F

— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) September 12, 2016

It’s called “the city that never sleeps” and it seems New York’s motto may also apply to newly crowned US Open champions! Just hours after defeating Novak Djokovic to hoist his third Grand Slam title, Stan Wawrinka was refreshed and ready for an appearance on the morning show “Live With Kelly”. The Swiss met backstage with legendary actress Sophia Loren and actor Patrick Dempsey before chatting with hosts Kelly Ripa and Chris Harrison.

That’s a wrap on @LiveKelly for @stanwawrinka, with hosts @KellyRipa & @chrisbharrison. #usopen pic.twitter.com/L8ugcJQg9G

— ATP Media Info (@ATPMediaInfo) September 12, 2016

Watch Wawrinka’s appearance (36:23 mark):

Next stop was Rockefeller Center for a round table with press before posing with his new trophy at the Top of the Rock Observation Deck, the quintessential city skyline as his backdrop. Legend Rod Laver was also there to greet Wawrinka after his win.

.@usopen champion @stanwawrinka and legend Rod Laver together on a perfect morning in NYC. #usopen #ATP pic.twitter.com/bAIoFvGf9n

— ATP Media Info (@ATPMediaInfo) September 12, 2016

After a chat with Pat Cash on the streets of New York City, it was off to NBC Studios for an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”. Next, the Swiss stopped for a chat with Charlie Rose before his final stop, at Yahoo! Sports.

After a stunning run at the US Open, showman Gael Monfils is right in the mix to bring his must-watch game to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals from 13-20 November at The O2 in London.

Monfils is bidding to join Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and US Open champion Stan Wawrinka, who have already booked their places in London.

The Frenchman is bidding to qualify for the year-end championships for the first time and surged to sixth in the Emirates ATP Race To London after reaching the semi-finals in New York. Monfils did not drop a set through the first five rounds as he advanced to his first Grand Slam semi-final since 2008, before his run was ended by World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

His showing at the US Open marked the end of a big summer for Monfils, who won the biggest title of his career at the Citi Open in Washington (d. Karlovic), an ATP World Tour 500 hard-court tournament, and reached the semi-finals of the Rogers Cup in Toronto (l. to Djokovic).

The current Top 8 is looking increasingly steady as the countdown begins to the season finale, with the Emirates ATP Race To London reaching its climax at the end of the regular season in Paris, where there are 1000 points on the line at the BNP Paribas Masters.

Canada’s Milos Raonic suffered a disappointing US Open as he fell in the second round to Ryan Harrison, but the Wimbledon finalist is next in line to qualify for the prestigious event at The O2, as he currently sits in fourth spot in the year-to-date standings. Raonic is looking to return to London for the first time since his debut in 2014.

Japan’s Kei Nishikori solidified his position in the Top 5 in the race with a run to the semi-finals in New York, where he was beaten by Wawrinka. Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal round out the current Top 8, with eighth-placed Nadal enjoying a 670-point cushion over Tomas Berdych, who was forced to miss the US Open due to appendicitis.

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Four spots remain in the eight-team doubles field at The O2, after US Open champions Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, and Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez all qualified during the fortnight in New York. They joined World No. 1 duo and Wimbledon champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, who are set to return after their debut last year.

Fourth-placed Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo are next in line to qualify, followed by would-be-team-debutantes Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi in sixth position and Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram in seventh spot. John Peers, who played alongside Murray at The O2 last year, is on course for a return visit alongside new partner, Henri Kontinen, with the Australian/Finnish duo currently eighth in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London.

Last year’s champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau currently sit just outside the qualification cut-off at ninth in the race, but are only 30 points behind Kontinen and Peers.

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The ATP World Tour resumes on Monday 19 September with ATP World Tour 250 tournaments in Metz and St. Petersburg. Then follows a three-week tour of Asia, with 250s in Chengdu and Shenzhen, 500s in Beijing and Tokyo and the eighth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the year in Shanghai. 

US Open champion and World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka will make his fourth successive appearance at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals after becoming the third player to qualify for the prestigious season-ending tournament, to be held from 13-20 November at The O2 in London.

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The Swiss booked his ticket to London after capturing his third Grand Slam championship at the US Open in New York on Sunday, with victory over World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. The 31-year-old Wawrinka won his first major title at the 2014 Australian Open (d. Nadal) before beating the Serbian in the 2015 Roland Garros final.

Wawrinka has reached the semi-finals on all three of his previous visits to The O2, falling to Djokovic in 2013 and countryman Roger Federer in 2014-15. He has a 6-6 event record.

“At the beginning of the season, it is always my goal to be in the Top 8 and qualify for London,” said Wawrinka. “It is great to be able to secure a spot once again this year after a fantastic two weeks in New York. I look forward to returning to The O2, I love playing there.”

Victory at Flushing Meadows marked Wawrinka’s fourth tour-level title of the season. The right-hander began his campaign by lifting the trophy at the Aircel Chennai Open (d. Coric) and was victorious again the following month at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (d. Baghdatis). A strong finish to the spring clay-court swing saw Wawrinka triumph on home soil at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open (d. Cilic) before reaching the Roland Garros semi-finals (l. to Murray).

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals has welcomed more than 1.8 million fans to The O2 arena over the past seven years, establishing itself as the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world since moving to London in 2009. A record 102 million broadcast viewers also tuned in across the eight days of competition in 2015. The ATP announced last year that the event would remain at The O2 through to 2018. Tickets can be purchased at: www.BarclaysATPWorldTourFinals.com.

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Back on his beloved clay, Nicolas Almagro made another deep run on the red dirt this past week as he continues his resurgence in 2016.

Competing at the $125,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Genova, Italy, Almagro stormed through to the final as the top seed. Although he lost the championship match on Sunday to Jerzy Janowicz, the Spaniard had only positive things to say about the tournament, particularly since he was given a wild card as a late entrant.

“The tournament director waited for me until the last second from the US Open, so I was really happy to play here,” said Almagro. “Genova is a beautiful city. The hotel is amazing and the people around here are very kind and helpful.”

Almagro has climbed back into the Top 50 of the Emirates ATP Rankings this year after impressive results including winning the Millennium Estoril Open in May and finishing as runner-up at the Argentina Open. But despite his ATP World Tour success, he still sees plenty of value in playing high-level Challenger events.

“To me, this is one of the most important Challengers in the world. There are many great players who play here,” said Almagro. “I can say that this tournament in Genova is quite similar to an ATP World Tour 250 event because there are a lot of fans here to watch and the supporters are amazing.”

With minimal points to defend during the fall season, Almagro believes he is playing the type of tennis that could even get him into seeding contention for the Australian Open.

“I want to finish the year inside the Top 35,” said Almagro. “I want to try and play in great tournaments where I feel good on the court, so it was very important for me to play here in Genova.”

“There is no secret. If you want to beat the No. 1 player in the world, you have to give everything,” Stan Wawrinka said after beating Novak Djokovic for his third Grand Slam title at the US Open on Sunday. “After the match I was completely empty. I put everything on the court. Today I was trying to stay with him. I was trying to be tough with myself. Trying not to show anything. Not to show any pain. Not to show any cramps. Not to show anything. I was suffering on the court, but I’m happy and proud with what I have achieved today.”

After dropping the first set in a tie-break, the Swiss threw himself behind every ground stroke to draw even, then closed out his third win in as many Grand Slam finals when the ultra-fit Djokovic wavered physically in the fourth set.

“You have to expect to suffer and you have to almost enjoy suffering,” Wawrinka said. “I was already feeling tired at the beginning of the match. I was feeling the cramps coming in the third set. In the fourth set I had some pain, but the most important was what I discussed with (Coach) Magnus Norman before the match. To keep fighting and try to win it.

“Today, before the final, I was nervous like never before. I was shaking in the locker room. When I had a final chat with Magnus, five minutes before the match, I started to cry. I was shaking,” Wawrinka revealed. “But I was convinced that my game was there. If I put up a fight on the court, I had a chance to win.”

Wawrinka’s fighting spirit at the US Open had been honed in the earlier rounds. The Swiss was a point away from being upset by British upstart Daniel Evans in the third round, but rebounded strongly to win in five sets.

“I don’t play my best tennis in the first rounds, but I tried to find a way to improve each match,” Wawrinka said. “I was struggling with my game. I was hesitating. Against Evans, I put too much pressure on myself. I was not relaxed and he was playing really well. I had to fight and find solutions.

“Of course I was lucky to save match point against him, but the more I won, the better I felt. Yesterday at practice, I was feeling the ball. It was the best I’ve ever played.”

Even with a transcendent showing in Flushing Meadows, Wawrinka is not setting his sight on No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings just yet.

“I’ve always gone step by step. First I wanted to be a professional tennis player. Then it was to be Top 100, then Top 50. I never started with the idea to be No. 1 or to win Grand Slams,” Wawrinka said. “The only thing I want to do is to push my limits, to have no regrets.”

“Life is a big lesson, it’s a big book. We keep writing the stories and there is another story to be written,” Novak Djokovic said after losing the final of the US Open to Stan Wawrinka on Sunday. “I wish that it was a bit different, but again, I think we learn much more from the losses like this than we do from wins.

“The way I see things is that whether or not you win or lose, at the end of the day you have to be very respectful towards the opponent, towards the sport, towards the occasion, to those people who come to see you.”

A sixth US Open final in seven years may not have fallen the way of the defending champion, but defeat does not overshadow another already extraordinary season for the 29-year-old Serbian.

Bidding for his third major tournament title this season after completing the non-calendar year Grand Slam at Roland Garros, Djokovic, who struggled with a left wrist injury earlier in the North American hard-court swing, arrived in New York under a cloud of uncertainty as to whether he would even contest his 12th US Open. He would ultimately come up short against Wawrinka 6-7(1), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in the final. It was a run deeper than even he expected.

“It’s never easy to lose Grand Slam finals, big matches, playing four hours,” Djokovic said. “Of course everybody wants to be victorious, but at the end of the day, sometimes you win, you lose, and you’ve got to accept it and let it go. From a larger perspective, I’ll take it because I was really in doubt whether or not I was going to come here up to really the last day.

“I struggled the first couple of days with practice and the first match and so forth, and then to get the finals, I mean, it’s a big result. I’ve set up a high standard for myself with the great results I have had in the last couple of years. I’m really successful and I’m grateful for that.

“Of course everybody is playing the sport because they want success in life. What defines success is different for each one of us. For me, success is not just winning tennis matches and winning trophies. It’s more than that,” Djokovic said. “I guess my main source of playing tennis, my main source of motivation for playing the sport, is because I really like it.”

Despite the setback, Djokovic will retain the top spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings. However, he will need to quickly refocus, as he will be defending four titles at upcoming tournaments. In 2015, he won the China Open, the Shanghai Rolex Masters and the BNP Paribas Masters before ending the season on a high by capturing the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for the fourth consecutive year.

Stan Wawrinka outhit the best baseliner in the game to capture the 2016 US Open singles title in New York Sunday evening.

Wawrinka backed himself from the back of the court to defeat Novak Djokovic 6-7(1), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3, crushing 17 forehand and 14 backhand winners along the way to capture Grand Slam silverware for the third time in his career.

Coming into the final, Wawrinka actually had a losing record from the baseline, only winning 48 per cent (401/835), while Djokovic was flying high as a tournament leader in this critical category, winning 58 per cent (240/413).

But in the physical final, the Swiss turned Djokovic’s vaunted baseline game into a losing proposition, lowering its success rate by 10 percentage points to a lowly 46.8 per cent. Wawrinka stayed right around his average, winning 47.8 per cent from the back of the court.

To achieve the unlikely advantage from the trenches, Wawrinka had to run more, but that was a small price to pay to ultimately hold the coveted US Open trophy.

Wawrinka ran 4339 metres in the four sets, while Djokovic was only at 4067 metres. Wawrinka averaged running 15.17 metres per point, while Djokovic was slightly lower at 14.22 metres.

It took Wawrinka a while to figure out the best way to attack Djokovic in the constant baseline battles. The Swiss started Set 1 with very deep court position, which didn’t allow him to make Djokovic uncomfortable as his ball landed short, allowing Djokovic to consistently play off the front foot.

Wawrinka only won 35 per cent (16/46) of his baseline points in the opening set, but that improved to 53 per cent (20/38) in Set 2, 51 per cent in Set 3, and a very healthy 54 per cent (20/37) in the fourth and final set.

Wawrinka wore down Djokovic in the longer rallies of 9+ shots in the first three sets, winning them 28-19. This created doubt in Djokovic’s mind that he could go toe-to-toe with the Swiss as the end of the match rushed fast at both players.

In the deciding fourth set, Wawrinka upped the ante in the shorter rallies, winning the 0-4 rally length 18-13, and the 5-8 shot rally length 12-7. It was a masterful strategic adjustment to put Djokovic away earlier in the point before he could find a way back from a two sets to one deficit.

Serve Patterns

Wawrinka served considerably better in the Ad court throughout the match, making 65 per cent (39/52) of his first serves there, compared to only 48 per cent (26/40) in the Deuce court. In keeping with form, he won 75 per cent of his first serve points in the Ad, and only 65 per cent in the Deuce.

Things flipped with second serve performance, as the Swiss won 57 per cent of his second serve points in the Deuce court, and only 43 per cent in the Ad court.

Break Points

Wawrinka saved a critical 14/17 break points for the match, including coming back from 0-40 leading 3-1 in the second set. He also saved three break points in the opening game of the third set. In the fourth set, with Djokovic threatening a comeback from a 3-1 hole, Wawrinka again saved three break points to hold serve.

On break point, Wawrinka made 10-17 first serves, and saved 5/7 behind his second serve.

Summary

Wawrinka’s comeback victory showed tremendous belief to execute a physically demanding strategy, going head on with Djokovic’s favorite baseline game style. The net was a distant secondary tactic for Wawrinka, only winning 11 points on 20 forays forward.

At the end of the night, Wawrinka won just one more point (144-143) than Djokovic, but he ultimately owned the baseline, stood tall on break points, and kept his head clear when a raucous New York crowd primarily showed their support for the World No. 1.

Beating an opponent on the world’s biggest stage at what they do best takes guts, conviction and outstanding execution over almost four hours of tennis. Wawrinka walked into the lions’ den and not only survived, but stole the show.

Three Grand Slam finals. Three Grand Slam titles. Stan Wawrinka etched his name in the record books with his first US Open crown, stopping top seed and two-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-7(1), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 on Sunday.

Wawrinka has risen to the occasion in big matches in recent years, moving to 3-0 in major finals and extending his staggering win streak in tour-level finals to 11 straight. All three Grand Slam title runs have included wins over the World No. 1 in the final, having previously defeated Rafael Nadal for the 2014 Australian Open crown and Djokovic in the Roland Garros final last year.

“This is amazing,” said Wawrinka during the trophy presentation. “I came here without expecting to win it. When I stepped on the court, I tried to win every match. I did everything today against Novak. The crowd and atmosphere was something I’ve never had before. It’s an amazing night.”

With the win, Wawrinka secured qualification for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, joining Djokovic and Andy Murray at The O2 in London. He will be making his fourth consecutive appearance at the season finale, having reached the semi-finals in each of the past three years. Buy Tickets

Wawrinka, who fired 46 winners, including three aces, while saving an impressive 14 of 17 break points, prevailed after three hours and 55 minutes. After Djokovic took the first set in a tie-break, the Swiss showed his true mettle, breaking the defending champion early in the second, third and fourth sets. His steely resolve was on full display as he maintained his composure throughout the encounter, eventually triumphing on his second match point. Wawrinka is now 15-6 at the US Open when dropping the opening set.

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“Today I was trying to stay with him,” Wawrinka told the assembled media following the match. “I was trying to be tough with myself, trying not to show anything, not to show any pain, not to show any cramps, not to show anything. I was suffering on the court, but I’m happy and proud with what I have achieved today.

“There is no secret. If you want to beat the No. 1 player in the world, you have to give everything. You have to accept to suffer and you have almost to enjoy to suffer. Because I think this Grand Slam was the most painful, physically and mentally that I ever played.”

Won First Three Major Finals (Open Era)

Wawrinka became the fifth man in the Open Era to win multiple major singles crowns after turning 30, joining Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors. The 31-year-old is the oldest Grand Slam champion since Agassi at the 2003 Australian Open and also became the first man to win his first three majors at different events since Agassi.

Moreover, Wawrinka is the first US Open champion to save a match point en route to the title since Djokovic in 2011. He turned aside one against Daniel Evans in a five-set third round victory. 

Djokovic was bidding for his third US Open title and 13th at the major level. The Serbian’s 21st Grand Slam final is second-most in history, only behind Roger Federer (27). He still owns a sizeable 19-5 lead in their growing FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry.

“He definitely deserves to be mentioned in the mix of top players,” Djokovic said about Wawrinka. “He’s been around for so many years and he plays best in the big matches.

“I lost my nerves in the important moments. He kept his cool. I think that’s what decided the match. I just didn’t capitalise at all on my opportunities. I had plenty of them. It was a terrible conversion of the break points. Just terrible from my side.

“In matches like these, if you don’t use the opportunities, the other guy comes and takes it. And that’s what he did. That’s why I said he was more courageous, because he stepped in and played aggressive where I was waiting for things to happen.”