Sunday 26 January 2014 15:31, UK
The tattoo etched on the arm of Stanislas Wawrinka could have been misconstrued as representing the ideology of a defeatist, an admission of relentless failure for a player seemingly destined to a career in the backdrop.
Tomas Berdych, another nearly man, went down next in the semi-final but still it defied all logic for the eighth seed to secure the title. All 12 previous meetings with Nadal had ended with in straight-sets defeats but, like the way he pushed Djokovic hard in 2013, Wawrinka proved he had the quality if not the killer instinct to battle with the best as he took the Spaniard to two tie-breaks at the World Tour Finals at the back end of last year. While 2013 was certainly his most successful it was surely also his most painful - but still the perennial Swiss No 2 endured. That endurance reaped rewards on Sunday night with a four-set triumph and, while we'll never know whether a fully-fit Nadal would have had his usual way, praise must be given to the underdog for finally crossing a finish line which must have seemed so distant until that last winner. A 303rd winner, a tournament high, aptly sealed it for a man who had kept on swinging bravely throughout, albeit erratically through a worrying third set. Wawrinka needed to look no further than across the net for inspiration, with a back-injury hampered Nadal struggling on against all odds to keep the dream alive. The Spaniard admitted it was "impossible" for him to be victorious after the match but the fact he continued to put on the best show possible for the crowd, or which a minority booed his return to the court after treatment.