| Rafael Nadal (2) vs. Roger Federer (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | Sunday 6 July 2008[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Tournament | Wimbledon | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Wimbledon, England | ||||||||||||||||||
| World rankings | Rafael Nadal: 2 Roger Federer: 1 |
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| Federer serves for third set | |||||||||||||||||||
The 2008 Wimbledon Men's Singles final was the championship tennis match of the Men's Singles tournament at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. A part of the storied Federer-Nadal rivalry, it pitted then-World No. 1 Roger Federer against then-World No. 2 Rafael Nadal. After 4 hours and 48 minutes, Nadal defeated Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–7(8–10), 9–7. Many tennis analysts have lauded the match as the greatest in tennis history.[2][3][4][5]
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Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have a storied rivalry that many consider to be the greatest in tennis history.[6][7][8][9][10] As they entered the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, the two men had combined to win 14 of the previous 16 Grand Slam titles.
The 2008 Wimbledon Men's Singles final was the third consecutive year in which Federer and Nadal had met in the finals of Wimbledon. Federer had won not only both previous meetings, but had also been the Wimbledon champion five years in a row and was now trying to become champion for a sixth consecutive year.
Nadal, on the other hand, had just won the French Open for the fourth time in a row and was trying to achieve the rare French Open-Wimbledon double, extremely difficult because it requires the player to make the switch from a slow clay surface to a fast grass surface and be the best on both surfaces within the space of a month. In the Open Era of tennis, only two men had previously achieved this feat: Rod Laver and Björn Borg. Since this showdown match, Roger Federer has completed the Roland-Garros/Wimbledon double in 2009 and Rafael Nadal achieved the feat for a second time in 2010.
Although the players were due on court at 14:00 BST, rain delayed the start of the match by about 35 minutes.
Once the match was underway, Nadal won the first two sets 6–4, 6–4. Rain stopped play once again as Federer led the third set 5–4. After an 80 minute break for the weather, Federer battled back to win the next two sets in tiebreaks, 7–6 (5), 7–6 (8). A second rain delay at 19:53 BST kept the players in the locker room for another 30 minutes. When they returned onto court, with darkness setting in and threatening to delay the end of the match until the next day, Nadal took the victory 9–7 in the final fifth set, which, under Wimbledon rules, has no tiebreak game.
During the match, Federer had only converted one of thirteen break points on Nadal's serve.
Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain were in attendance at the match and congratulated Nadal, who is a Spaniard, immediately after his victory.
| Category | Federer | Nadal |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Serve % | 66% | 73% |
| Aces | 25 | 6 |
| Double Faults | 2 | 3 |
| Unforced Errors | 52 | 27 |
| Winning % on 1st Serve | 73% | 69% |
| Winning % on 2nd Serve | 57% | 59% |
| Receiving Points Won | 33% | 33% |
| Break Point Conversions | 1-of-13 | 4-of-13 |
| Net Approaches | 42-of-75 | 22-of-31 |
| Total Points Won | 204 | 209 |
| Fastest Serve | 129 mph | 126 mph |
| Average 1st Serve Speed | 117 mph | 112 mph |
| Average 2nd Serve Speed | 100 mph | 93 mph |
At 4 hours and 48 minutes, the match was the longest singles final at a Wimbledon in terms of time played.
By winning the match, Nadal achieved the rare French Open-Wimbledon double, joining Rod Laver and Björn Borg as the only men to do so in the Open Era. Federer would achieve the same feat the following year. Nadal would again repeat the French Open-Wimbledon double in 2010.
Winning the match, Nadal's first non-French Open Slam victory, helped dispel Nadal's reputation as a clay court only specialist, and he proved that he could play at the highest level even on a fast grass court.[11]
The match was a harbinger of Nadal two months later, in August, finally overtaking Federer in the ATP Rankings, on which Federer had reigned as World No. 1 for a record 237 consecutive weeks. Many tennis analysts wondered whether this was the beginning of Federer's decline in favor of the younger Nadal.
Due to the rain delays, the match ended in near darkness at 21:15 BST.[12] It was to be the last Wimbledon final to be significantly affected by rain, as a retractable roof was being installed at Centre Court and would be in place by the 2009 Wimbledon Championships.
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