After an enthralling encounter with Andy Murray, which spilled out into a four-hour match, split into Friday and Saturday, Djokovic had the tough task of having to deal with the threat posed by Wawrinka, who had beaten the likes of Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga just to get into the final itself.
Going into the tournament, Djokovic was eager to secure French Open glory, especially as it was the only title out of the four Grand Slam that has eluded him in his impressive career. Wawrinka was probably watching on with delight as the Serbian was taken to a five-set thriller, for the first time in the competition, and the Swiss international would enjoy the early advantage.
As the match began, Wawrinka had a clear game plan. Novak was obviously tired from his match yesterday, and Stan would try and work it in his favour - making him run endlessly to return every shot, a calculated move if not harsh to watch at times. A fascinating 39-stroke rally in the opening game highlighted just a snippet of what was to come from the match, and got the crowd firmly off their seats in appreciation of what promised to be an exciting final. Djokovic proved his world-class quality though to keep the match even for the majority of the first set, levelling at three games-all, before eventually getting himself into the lead with a combination of some superb backhand winners as well as a few frustrating mistakes by Wawrinka.
Novak took the first set by a six-four scoreline, and Stan was fired up to hit back. After seven minutes of the second set, Wawrinka eventually took the first game of the new set. Djokovic's unforced error as well as a half-volley forehand close to the net, ensured that he was in-front, but not for long. Djokovic's service game was eyecatching to say the least, after a fast-paced rally ensured that the World number one levelled the second set with the crowd urging both players' on.
The affair started to intensify at four-all in the second set, as Djokovic's drop shots started to frustrate Wawrinka, who was simply unable to contain his threat effectively enough. Another disappointing miss from the underdog saw him react angrily, hitting his racket against the net in fury that he was missing, time-after-time.
But then, the tide turned. Wawrinka had the momentum, as well as the crowd's backing, with every shot being watched with excitement from the fans, who wanted the French-speaking man to prevail against the world's best player. His power and brute strength was simply too much to handle for Novak, who was obviously still feeling the effects of having to play in three consecutive days. Wawrinka was the winner of the third set, and in truth, did not look much like losing a point when he was on-fire. Most shots that Djokovic threw at him, he was equal to it all. But, a few unforced errors went the way of Novak, and Djokovic put up a valiant fight to at least stay in the set for as long as he did, with some moments of individual brilliance to outsmart the imposing figure of his opponent.
As the fourth set began, questions were raised as to whether the physicality over the past few days was hurting Djokovic, and it obviously was. He had to win the set, otherwise he'd be the runner-up of the competition, and after eleven minutes, he was up by two-games to none. Stan knew he was starting to lose his momentum, making too many unforced errors. Having done well to push himself three-games up, Wawrinka had the momentum once more in his favour, and made Djokovic pay with some smart returns and powerful shots fired towards the Serb, who simply had no answer.
Novak was fighting to stay in the match, but Stan somehow managed to save three break points, which was ultimately crucial, at four-three down. Djokovic, under pressure, did extremely well with a volley to keep himself firmly in the battle of supremacy, which he was losing his grip on in fairness. A plehora of superbly-struck strokes from both men made it even more of a spectacle to watch, a fast-paced duel between two men with neither wanting to lose on the day.
Wawrinka became the first man to win both the Junior and Senior French Open tournament since Mats Wilander, and secured it with a backhand winner swerving past the line to an emphatic nature.