“Before today I never expect to play a final,” said Stanislas Wawrinka the newest grand slam winner. “I never expect to win a grand slam. And right now I just did it.” Wawrinka has not fully digested the news that he is the Australian Open 2014 champion and it’s news that will take a while for the rest of the world to understand too.

The 28 year old from Switzerland is now ranked world number 3 thanks in part to his victory at Melbourne as well as other results over a season where perceptions of the player’s ability changed. Last year’s Australian Open should have gained Wawrinka a little more recognition as he was just two points shy of taking Novak Djokovic out of the competition when the two met in a fourth-round epic which was voted “match of the season” by their fellow ATP Tour professionals.

In April 2013 Wawrinka signed Swedish coach Magnus Norman, and then later in the year he advertised a new belief in himself with a tattoo that read “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better,” a Samuel Beckett quote that sums up what he now stands for.

When the new ranking are published on Monday, the new Australian Open champion will be number 3 in the world, which means a new look to the top 4 places. Andy Murray will be shown as world number 6 and Roger Federer as number 8. Rafael Nadal is unchanged as world number 1.

Wawrinka was pretty clear that Rafa Nadal played well but he played better. “In the beginning, he was good, Rafa was fit, he wasn’t injured. And myself, I was playing amazing tennis.

“To be honest, I still think that I’m dreaming,” Wawrinka concluded. “There’s a big chance I get drunk tonight.”