Australian Open 2014: Stanislas Wawrinka wins first Grand Slam by powering past injury-hit Rafael Nadal in four sets The 28-year-old Swiss player had never taken a set off Nadal in 12 previous meetings, but dominated from the start at Melbourne Park. Nadal appeared to be on the verge of retiring in the second set, when he hurt his back and needed a medical time out. Nadal has had a terrible stretch with injuries at the Australian Open, and has described it as his unluckiest Grand Slam. He missed the 2013 edition during a seven-month layoff with knee injuries and illness, and his quarterfinal losses in 2010 and 2011 were affected by injuries. Wawrinka was battling himself more than his opponent, and two more break points went begging at the start of the fourth set, a set he desperately needed to win. But the Swiss was handling events much better, holding his own serve easily, and he finally broke Nadal to lead 4-2. Incredibly, he was then broken back to love, but Nadal's serve was still his big weakness and Wawrinka struck once more to move to within a game of victory. A pained Rafael Nadal reacts between games This time he held his serve to love, raising his hands in delight and relief, although his muted celebrations reflected the strange circumstances of his maiden grand slam triumph. Wawrinka becomes only the second man after Juan Martin del Potro to break the big four's stranglehold on slam titles since Marat Safin won the Australian Open in 2005.