The four underdogs who have won Grand Slams in the last decade
Another Grand Slam title flows by with one of the Big Four – World No. 1 Novak Djokovic – etching his name on the trophy.Irrespective of what people say about including Andy Murray (two Slam titles) in the same bracket as Novak Djokovic (9),Rafael Nadal (14) and Roger Federer (17), the Scot has consistently maintained his game at a level so as to at least challenge the rest of the three.So who are the other players to have won a Grand slam title during such a period of domination by the Big Four? Astonishingly, there have been only four other players who have won a Major title over the last decade.
#1 Stan Wawrinka - 2014 Australian Open and 2015 French Open
The only man to win multiple Majors other than the Big Four from 2003-15, most people expected Stan Wawrinka to be nothing more than the supporting act to Federer in the latter's quest to help Switzerland taste that ever elusive victory in the Davis Cup. But ‘Stan the Man’ accomplished a lot more than that.
After a strong 2013 season,Wawrinka came into his own during the Australian Open, snapping a 14-match losing streak against three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals and beating Tomas Berdych in the semis to set up the title match with Rafael Nadal.
Having lost to the Spaniard in all of his past 13 encounters without winning a single set, Wawrinka was very much the underdog going in to the match. However, he proceeded to tear Nadal apart, winning the match 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to collect his first Grand Slam title overtaking Federer as the top-ranked Swiss tennis player in the world.
Wawrinka would silence what remained of the doubters a year later when he would capture an unlikely French Open crown as well. Beating Federer in the quarterfinals and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals, Wawrinka denied World number 1 Djokovic his chance at a Career Grand Slam.
Oh yeah, and about that Davis Cup – Wawrinka joined forces with Federer to beat France 3-1 in Paris to give Switzerland their only triumph in the team competition!