ited to the moon boot and enduring endless reh

NEW YORK -- Stan Wawrinka is the first to acknowledge he hasnt always been the most consistent player -- or the strongest mentally. Thats why when he shows his mettle during a match he likes to point his right index finger to his temple.That signature gesture got a lot of use in the US Open final Sunday, when Wawrinka surprisingly managed to wear down Novak Djokovic and beat the defending champion 6-7 (1), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 for his first US Open title and third Grand Slam trophy overall.He was the better player. He was tougher mentally, said Djokovic, offering two of the highest compliments a tennis player can receive from the talented Serb ranked No. 1. He knew what to do. And I was just unlucky in some moments. And thats it.The 31-year-old Wawrinka is the oldest US Open mens champion since Ken Rosewall won in 1970 at age 35. Wawrinka entered Sunday having spent almost exactly twice as much time on court as Djokovic during the course of the tournament: about 18 hours versus about nine hours.I played quite a lot of tennis these two weeks. I am completely empty, said No. 3 Wawrinka, who noted during the trophy ceremony that Sunday was the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.The Swiss player said in his postmatch news conference that before the final he was really nervous like never before. I was shaking in the locker. When [coach Magnus Norman and I] start five minutes before the match talking ... I start to cry. I was completely shaking.Asked what he did to quell his nerves, Wawrinka replied with a smile: I had to put my s--- together. Sorry. Thats how I say it.By breaking in the final game of the second and third sets and saving 14 of 17 break points he faced, Wawrinka had gained the upper hand by the time Djokovic clutched at his left leg and grimaced after missing a forehand while being broken early in the fourth.Djokovic was granted the unusual chance to have a medical timeout at a time other than a changeover. He removed both shoes and socks so a trainer could help with toe blisters. Wawrinka complained about the six-minute break, and Djokovic looked over and apologized. Later, Djokovic started limping and received more treatment.We played almost four hours, said Djokovic, and I think I can speak in the name of Stan as well: We both felt it.Wawrinka appeared to share this sentiment.?As I said the other day, you have to accept to suffer and you have almost to enjoy to suffer, he said. Because I think this Grand Slam was the most painful, physically and mentally, Grand Slam that I ever played.Wawrinka has won only five of his 24 career meetings against Djokovic, but he now has beaten the 12-time major champion on the way to each of his Grand Slam titles, including in the 2014 Australian Open quarterfinals and 2015 French Open final.Before this matchup, Djokovic praised Wawrinka as a big-match player. He wasnt always, though. Playing in the shadow of his more accomplished Swiss countryman and good pal, Roger Federer, Wawrinka didnt reach the semifinals at a major until his 35th appearance -- at age 28.But look at Wawrinka now.He has won 11 tournament finals in a row.He is 3-0 in Grand Slam finals, beating the No. 1-ranked player each time. Take that trio of highest-stakes matches out of the equation and Wawrinka is 0-19 in all other matches against the top man.And he did it Sunday by coming back against Djokovic, whose French Open title in June completed a career Grand Slam and made him only the third man -- and first in almost a half-century -- to win four consecutive major tournaments.Djokovic had been 51-0 in US Open matches when taking the first set. This time, though, the thick-chested Wawrinka eventually began bullying Djokovic from the baseline, not only with his best-in-the-game one-handed backhand but also off both wings.He likes to occasionally whack the ball quite hard, and I dont think that Novak likes that, said Norman. Stan is maybe one of the few guys who can really hit through Novak if he has a good day.As Wawrinka placed one stinging shot after another right on a line, Djokovic looked up at coach Boris Becker while gesticulating with his hands and muttering. He went from appearing locked-in at the outset to completely drained in every way.I lost my nerves in the important moments. He kept his cool. I think thats what decided the match, Djokovic said. I guess sometimes it happens, even though you have the experience and know what to do. Just the heat of the moment and importance of the match, I guess, was too strong for me at certain periods of the match. Just if you lose your cool, the match can go away.On one point, Wawrinka delivered a shot so hard it knocked the racket from Djokovics grasp and against a wall behind the baseline.Then, after smacking a forehand winner to end a 20-stroke exchange, Wawrinka pointed to his temple. Two points later, the second set was his.After a forehand passing shot drew an errant volley for a break early in the third set, Wawrinka pointed to his temple.And so on.Wawrinka nearly was gone before the end of the US Opens first week, one point from losing in the third round against 64th-ranked Dan Evans. Sundays victory made Wawrinka the first man to win the tournament after saving a match point since -- thats right -- Djokovic in 2011.Youre a great champion, a great person. Because of you, I am where I am today, Wawrinka said. We know each other [for] many, many years, and I had the chance to practice many times with him and to play him on a big stage.With that, Djokovic threw his left arm around Wawrinkas shoulders, knowing he was more up to the task on this day.Winning two out of four Grand Slams is a pretty good year, and playing another final -- I have no complaints, Djokovic said. Obviously, I wish that I could win another title, but this is what it is. You have to shake hands and accept the loss from a better player and move on.Its not the first time, its not the last time Im going to lose a match. Big match, he continued. Hopefully I can learn from it. Hopefully I can get better, because thats the cycle of life, I guess, for us athletes.The Associated Press contributed to this report. Cheap LeBron James Jersey . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Cheap Isaac Bonga Jersey . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. http://www.cheaplakersjerseys.com/ . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Cheap Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Wholesale Lakers Jerseys . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. It has been 174 days since the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Ben Simmons with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.Simmons donned the 76ers uniform during Summer League, but he is yet to see any playing time during the regular season after suffering a fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his right foot on the final day of training camp.Philadelphia coach Brett Brown has previously stated there is no timetable for Simmons return, but he was optimistic the star would be available in January. Today, during Philadelphias practice, Simmons appeared on the floor, free of the moon boot and shot free throws.?That is significant, Brett Brown stated with matter-of-fact emphasis.Sixers fans worldwide refuse to get ahead of themselves with excitement, but Brown believes things are finally heading in the right direction for Simmons.?He walked out on the court in sneakers and he shot free throws, Brown said. So, that is significant to me. Youre like, I got yah. Here we go.Since beginning rehab a little over two months ago, Simmons and Brown have been conducting one-on-one tutoring sessions to develop his on-court game.We took him through, Here, you got the ball, youre the point guard, said Brown. What do you see? What do you do? What do I call this? What are the reads? What can he do?On Tuesday, Brown put Simmons through his first exam.We went through that for a half an hour [Tuesday] morning.From a non-medical standpoint and just his coach, the evoluttion that he and I have been able to have in a classroom and on a court, in talking things through over the past few months, is fantastic.ddddddddddddThe 76ers have been in this situation before, with a previous high draft pick limited to the moon boot and enduring endless rehab. Joel Embiid knows the heartaches and struggles that you go through during rehab, and he understands that shooting free throws without the boot means a lot to the individual.Definitely, he said Tuesday. I asked [Simmons] the first thing when I saw it, I was like, How do you feel? You could see that smile on his face.Embiid missed two seasons before finally making it onto the NBA floor, and he is now soaking up the limelight. After seeing Simmons on the practice floor, Embiid was optimistic about a potential return.Now, you can get back on the court, you can start doing more stuff, you can start shooting. It just frees you up, and Im sure hes happy about it.I got better. Im sure hes going to get better, too.Brown is not getting ahead of himself.Were all going to be just extremely careful; everybody needs to hear that, and we know that. Were going to be extremely careful with how his progression into the team goes.No matter how you look at it, Simmons is edging closer to his first professional game of basketball and all signs are pointing up. ' ' '