Memorable Wimbledon moments: Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal, 2008 final

Rafael Nadal poses for photographers with the Championship trophy after winning the men’s singles Wimbledon Final against Roger Federer at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 6, 2008 in London, England. (Getty Images)

On a wet and cold day in Southwest London, a gathering gloom was threatening to swallow the air around the Centre Court. Amidst near darkness, Rafael Nadal was glowing like a solar fire even as Roger Federer looked like a devastated man, dealing with a dark death.

It was a moment of sporting poignancy that was hard to miss even if you were lost on an Amazonian trail. The first Sunday of July 2008 will be remembered as the day on which Nadal defaced the fine silken cloak of greatness that adorned one of the most majestic players to have ever graced the game of tennis.

At the end of the four hour 48 minute epic, Centre Court was awash in a warm radiance as if it were a piece of hallowed turf from a distant heavenly abode. Nadal struck a hammer blow to Federer’s legacy with a brutal 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(5), 9-7 victory to end his five year reign at Wimbledon.

The beastly act not only snatched the coveted Challenge Cup from the possessive grasp of the Swiss, but also tilted the rivalry irretrievably in favour of Nadal. It was their sixth Grand Slam final and the Spaniard took control of the stakes with a 4-2 edge over his storied rival.

The tension had been building up nicely in the lead up to this 18^th encounter between the two giants of millennial tennis. Nadal had denied Federer four years in a row at the French Open. Experts believed that the 2008 final in Paris, where the Spaniard battered the Swiss into submission in less than two hours would leave a deep scar. Nadal took just an hour and 48 minutes to maul Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 and set the stage for his third assault on the Swiss man’s crown.

Roger Federer congratulates Rafael Nadal after their men’s singles Wimbledon Final at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 6, 2008 in London, England. (Getty Images)

Still considered a clay court marvel, Nadal had been spending endless hours with Uncle Toni honing his game, largely built around a monster forehand with copious top spin. Significant improvements in service, the backhand slice and growing confidence in the forecourt meant that Nadal had been tapping at the heels of Federer even on grass. The final in 2007 had stretched the distance, before Federer prevailed 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2.

The signs were ominous for Federer – he had lost three straight matches to Nadal – at Rome, Hamburg and the defeat in Paris. While fanatics argued they were all on clay, the battering he received in Paris was so brutal it could have driven fear in the heart of the most battle weathered Aztec warrior. The Swiss hadn’t been defeated on grass since Mario Ancic did so as an 18-year-old qualifier in 2002.

But no man since William Renshaw late in the nineteenth century had managed to win six in a row at Wimbledon, not even Pete Sampras. Federer had to deal with the onerous task of dealing with the weight of history, while his nemesis standing across the net was chipping away relentlessly to bring down the Swiss man’s edifice of greatness.

As the spectators filled every last seat to witness the much anticipated battle, the pungent air of expectation turned Centre Court into a galactic amphitheatre. That the rain forced a 35-minute delay to the start of the match only made the players antsier.

When the players teed off, Nadal took control with a break in the third game of the first set. The five time champion made consecutive errors off his backhand to let Nadal take the wheel. Federer had his chances too, but three break points amounted to nothing, including one in the tenth game. A hassled looking Federer shot a cross court backhand into the net to surrender the first set to Nadal.

The second set got off to a breezy start for Federer, who broke serve in the second game with a blistering forehand winner. With a 3-0 lead, Federer looked like he was up for a contest. But Nadal was relentless and the Spaniard chipped away with characteristic determination to peg Federer back.

A general view with dark rain clouds as Rafael Nadal plays a return during the men’s singles Final against Roger Federer at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 6, 2008 in London, England. (Getty Images)

The world No.1 gave him an opportunity in the seventh game when he sent a forehand into the alley. Not one to spurn the scent of blood, Nadal pounced on it by striking a thundering backhand that forced the error from Federer at the net. In the next game, Federer had the chance to snatch another break, but Nadal stubbed it out with a big serve.

The relentless pounding from Nadal rattled Federer, who fell to 0-40 in the ninth game. The Swiss genius saved the first break point with a forehand winner. Nadal responded by sinking Federer in a deluge of punishing forehands to take control of the set. As Nadal served for the set, Federer unleashed a couple of aesthetic volleys to earn a break point.

Playing with clinical precision, Nadal put out the flames before taking the set. Surely now, many felt, it was end of the road for Federer. He had just lost a sixth straight set to his arch rival, and Nadal responded to everything Federer threw at him with gay abandon and complete disdain.

In the fourth game of the third set, Nadal slipped to 15-40. Yet again, the Spaniard raised his game just when he needed to – stroking a ferocious forehand cross court winner to stay in the game. Federer made an unforced error on the next point to slip back to deuce. The opportunity was lost to the Swiss when he sailed a backhand long to end the game.

With Federer failing to take his opportunities, the set slipped into a tie-breaker, but only after the players were forced indoors for about 80 minutes at 5-4 on serve. The break seemed to have liberated Federer, who fired four aces and a service winner to take the third set. It was a detour that wasn’t expected, but it offered much needed respite to the troubled Swiss.

Roger Federer looks dejected during the men’s singles Wimbledon Final against Rafael Nadal at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 6, 2008 in London, England. (Getty Images)

The fourth set was largely eventless; both players holding serve with a degree of certainty as it meandered into an inevitable tie-breaker. Intense drama followed, with the quality of play touching ridiculous levels of brilliance. Federer retrieved a backhand smash to skim the line for an unlikely winner, but Nadal stormed right back to take a commanding 4-1 lead.

When Federer sent a backhand wide to hang by a thread at 2-5, it appeared to be all but over. Incredibly, the indefatigable Spaniard proved to be human – throwing in a double fault before dumping a backhand in the net to offer a glimmer of hope for the defending champion. A forehand winner helped Federer draw level at 5-5.

At 6-6, Federer sliced a forehand long to offer Nadal his first championship point. With his back to the wall, Federer produced a thundering serve to stay alive at 7-7. Not to be outdone, the Spaniard struck a forehand pass on the run to earn his second match point. Federer produced a stunning backhand pass on the brink of defeat to claw back to 8-8.

A forehand winner finally gave Federer the set point he so craved and Nadal obliged for once, by driving a backhand long to set up a thrilling fifth set. The crowd was on its feet roaring unanimous approval, even if the intensity on the court was draining them of their energies just as much as the players themselves.

In the fifth set, Federer displayed a sign of nerves, throwing in a double fault at 40-30 in the third game. He held serve though to ensure there wasn’t a break since late in the second set. Federer, behind for much of the match, had a golden opportunity to seal a decisive break in the eighth game.

A scorching forehand pass set up break point, but Nadal fought fire with even more fire. He struck a blistering forehand winner, which matched Federer’s previous stroke in its intensity and purpose. Danger was met with poise and the set remained on serve. The next big opportunity courted Nadal, who had two break points in the eleventh game.

Rafael Nadal celebrates winning match point and the Championship during the men’s singles Final against Roger Federer at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 6, 2008 in London, England. (Getty Images)

But playing with remarkable resilience, Federer sent down an ace to save one and a powerful forehand winner on the next to avoid staring defeat in the face. This was two gladiators at their very best and inevitably the set remained undecided as they headed into overtime.

Federer was under immense pressure in the fifteenth game, as the match entered a climactic phase. A brilliant backhand volley at 0-30 gave some respite to the defending champion. But the relentless Nadal extracted the fatal break with a thundering backhand winner that blew past a stranded Federer.

With the light fading away, Nadal followed his serve to the net for the first time in the marathon match. Pumping his fist in delirium, Nadal struck two winning volleys as he neared the culmination of his biggest dream. The Swiss sent a backhand wide to surrender a third match point. Unwilling to give up his throne, Federer unleashed a backhand winner to claw back to deuce.

Eager to get his teeth on the trophy, Nadal mustered a service winner to earn his fourth match point. Nadal snatched away Federer’s most coveted possession with beastly force when Federer dumped a short forehand in the net on the next point.

“I think I’ve already proved that I’m not just a clay-court player,” Nadal said. “But to win in Wimbledon is very special to me. Of the four Grand Slams, it’s the most traditional. It’s really the tournament.”

“I’m disappointed, and I’m crushed,” Federer said. “He played a super match, and I’m sure it was a great match to watch and to play, but it’s all over now. I need some time.”

Roger Federer holds his runners-up trophy after losing the men’s singles Wimbledon Final against Rafael Nadal at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 6, 2008 in London, England. (Getty Images)

But Federer’s most telling comment was this: “There’s not even a comparison,” he said. “This is a disaster. Paris was nothing in comparison.”

We can argue long and hard about whether this was the greatest match of all time or not, but one thing that needed no opinion was the sheer quality of the game on offer – Federer had 89 winners to Nadal’s 52 but the number that proved vital was the unforced error count.

Nadal had just 27 over nearly five hours of brutal tennis, to Federer’s 52, some of which came on the 12 of 13 break points that he failed to convert. Incredibly, Nadal won nearly twice the points Federer won at the net – 42 to 22, having made 75 forays to the forecourt compared to just 31 by the Swiss.

It is a moment in tennis history that will forever be remembered as the night that Nadal usurped more than just the Wimbledon crown from Federer. It was a loss that almost robbed Federer’s soul and established Nadal’s reputation as an all-court player.