MELBOURNE, Australia — Sequels can be irresistible. A cast with great chemistry reprising beloved roles in a similar setting is often a formula for entertainment, if not duplication of the original’s success.
But in their third meeting in three years at the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka wrote a script Friday night on par with “The Godfather: Part III,” or “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” or perhaps even the 2002 made-for-TV flop “The Brady Bunch in the White House.”
After previously producing two five-set epics that brought out the best in each other, top-seeded Djokovic and Wawrinka, the defending champion, seemed to bring out the worst in each other in this third meeting, with Djokovic ultimately claiming victory, 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.
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”I think it was more mental in a way because once you back up and start playing defensively you spend a lot of energy,” he said. “He was the one that was dictating the rallies, there’s no question about it.”
Even with low scores for style points, Djokovic said he took comfort in having earned a spot in the final, which was, after all, his primary objective.
”I have much more positive things to reflect on in my game and in all the matches that I played so far in the tournament than the negative,” he said. “I’m in the finals. In the end of the day, that’s why I’m here, you know, to try to get far in the tournament. Getting to the finals in any way possible is a great achievement.”
