Wawrinka outplays Nadal in strange, awkward Australian Open final

• The men's final was in keeping with the theme of a strange event, which included the extreme heat and the losses of Serena Williams and then both defending

Jon Wertheim | Jan 26, 2014

Wawrinka outplays Nadal in strange, awkward Australian Open final /

Stanislas Wawrinka will rocket up to No. 3 in the ATP rankings after his Australian Open victory. — Stanislas Wawrinka will rocket up to No. 3 in the ATP rankings after his Australian Open victory :: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

• The men's final was in keeping with the theme of a strange event, which included the extreme heat and the losses of Serena Williams and then both defending champs (Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka). Nevertheless, how do you not applaud Wawrinka with a full throat? He didn't so much the moment as he kicked its ass. For the first time since 2009, a player outside the Big Four won one of the Big Four titles. This was a career-changer for Wawrinka. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

Published Jan 26, 2014

JON WERTHEIM

Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and has been part of the full-time SI writing staff since 1997, largely focusing on the tennis beat , sports business and social issues, and enterprise journalism. In addition to his work at SI, he is a correspondent for "60 Minutes" and a commentator for The Tennis Channel. He has authored 11 books and has been honored with two Emmys, numerous writing and investigative journalism awards, and the Eugene Scott Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Wertheim is a longtime member of the New York Bar Association (retired), the International Tennis Writers Association and the Writers Guild of America. He has a bachelor's in history from Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in New York City with his wife, who is a divorce mediator and adjunct law professor. They have two children.