2008 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles final
Encyclopedia
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.
and Rafael Nadal
have a storied rivalry that many consider to be the greatest in tennis history. 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.
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.
Source
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
.
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. 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
.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
match of the Men's Singles tournament at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships
2008 Wimbledon Championships
The 2008 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 122nd edition of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand Slam event of the year...
. A part of the storied Federer-Nadal rivalry
Federer-Nadal rivalry
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are professional tennis players engaged in a storied rivalry, which many consider the greatest in the game's history. Their first match was in 2004....
, it pitted then-World No. 1 Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
against then-World No. 2 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
. 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.
Background
Roger FedererRoger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
and Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
have a storied rivalry that many consider to be the greatest in tennis history. As they entered the 2008 Wimbledon Championships
2008 Wimbledon Championships
The 2008 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 122nd edition of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand Slam event of the year...
, the two men had combined to win 14 of the previous 16 Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
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
2008 French Open
The 2008 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 107th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from May 25 through June 8, 2008....
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
Open era
Open era or Open Era may refer to:* Open Era , the period since 1968 where professionals can compete in Grand Slams* Glasnost era, the increased openness in the Soviet Union from the mid-1980s...
of tennis, only two men had previously achieved this feat: Rod Laver
Rod Laver
Rodney George "Rod" Laver MBE is an Australian former tennis player who holds the record for titles won in career, and was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970...
and Björn Borg
Björn Borg
Björn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...
. Since this showdown match, Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
has completed the Roland-Garros/Wimbledon double in 2009 and Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
achieved the feat for a second time in 2010.
Match details
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
Felipe, Prince of Asturias
Felipe, Prince of Asturias de Borbón y de Grecia; born 30 January 1968), is the third child and only son of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain....
and Princess Letizia
Letizia, Princess of Asturias
Letizia, Princess of Asturias , is the wife of Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir apparent to the Spanish throne...
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
were in attendance at the match and congratulated Nadal, who is a Spaniard, immediately after his victory.
Statistics
| 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 |
Source
Significance
At 4 hours and 48 minutes, the match was the longest singles finalsLongest tennis match records
This article details longest tennis match records by duration or number of games.The 1973 introduction of the tiebreak reduced the opportunity for such records to be broken...
at a Wimbledon in terms of time played.
By winning the match, Nadal achieved the rare French Open-Wimbledon double, joining Rod Laver
Rod Laver
Rodney George "Rod" Laver MBE is an Australian former tennis player who holds the record for titles won in career, and was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970...
and Björn Borg
Björn Borg
Björn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...
as the only men to do so in the Open Era
Open era
Open era or Open Era may refer to:* Open Era , the period since 1968 where professionals can compete in Grand Slams* Glasnost era, the increased openness in the Soviet Union from the mid-1980s...
. 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
Clay court
A clay court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru "American" clay. The French Open uses clay courts, making it unique among the Grand Slam tournaments.Clay courts are more common...
only specialist, and he proved that he could play at the highest level even on a fast grass court
Grass court
A grass court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Grass courts are made of rye grass in different compositions depending on the tournament...
.
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. It was to be the last Wimbledon final to be significantly affected by rain, as a retractable roof was being installed at Centre Court
Centre Court
Centre Court is the main court at the Wimbledon Championship, the 3rd annual Grand Slam event of the tennis calendar. It is situated adjacent to Aorangi Terrace and is home to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Its only regular use is for the two weeks a year that the Championships take...
and would be in place by the 2009 Wimbledon Championships
2009 Wimbledon Championships
The 2009 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, from Monday 22 June through to Sunday 5 July 2009...
.
See also
- 1980 Wimbledon Men's Singles final
- 2008 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles
- Federer-Nadal rivalryFederer-Nadal rivalryRoger Federer and Rafael Nadal are professional tennis players engaged in a storied rivalry, which many consider the greatest in the game's history. Their first match was in 2004....