"Just in case people think Rafa isn't great on grass, he won the greatest match of all-time" - Tennis fans recall epic Wimbledon final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on its 14th anniversary

Rafael Nadal took to Center Court for his Wimbledon 2022 quarterfinal on Wednesday, 14 years after his epic final against Roger Federer - which is regarded as 'one of the greatest' matches of all time. However, tennis fans on social media were quick to term it as 'the greatest' match of all time, on the occasion of the 14th anniversary of that match.

Nadal defeated Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 in one of the most intense and keenly-contested matches between the two great champions. Fans flooded social media with their memories of that final, in response to a post from Wimbledon's official Twitter account remembering the 2008 finale on Center Court.

"Just in case people think Rafa isn't great on grass, he won the greatest match of all-time at Wimbledon," one fan wrote on Twitter.

The two players were ranked No. 1 and 2 in the ATP rankings back then. The Spaniard entered the match on the back of two consecutive losses to Federer in Wimbledon finals (2006 and 2007).

Additionally, the Swiss player had won the last five Wimbledon titles and was on a 41-match winning streak at the tournament ahead of the 2008 final. The Spaniard's victory was quite monumental, considering Federer's grass dominance.

"This final was not just a match. It's an emotion. Rafael Nadal's first major outside clay courts. He stopped Roger Federer who had won 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles," one fan wrote, remembering the match.

"This final was the makings of the great force Nadal had gone on to become, considering he had lost to Federer on two previous occasions there. And was still a huge underdog. Overcoming that barrier was a crucial turning point. The rest as they say is history," another tweet read.

The Spaniard, who was a four-time French Open champion back then, started the match on the front foot and rushed to a two-sets lead. Both players kept raising their levels as the match progressed and it was Federer who struck in the next two sets, winning both on tie-breakers.

After 4 hours and 48 minutes of play, Nadal broke serve and took the match 9-7 in the fifth set as Federer hit a forehand into the net.

---

Other 5-set Grand Slam thrillers between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

Day Eleven: The Championships - Wimbledon 2019

The first time a Grand Slam match between the duo went to five sets was at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships, where Federer won 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2. The Spaniard earned payback with a victory in the 2008 final.

The two men then played another epic final at the 2009 Australian Open, where the Spaniard won 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-2 to clinch his maiden Australian Open title. Their next five-set battle came eight years later at the same Major, with the spoils going to Federer this time.

The duo returned from huge injuries to make the 2017 Australian Open final, which the Swiss great won 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. Both players have won two of their four matches decided by the final set.

Overall, Nadal leads 24-16 in their career head-to-head and 10-4 in Grand Slams. While they have faced each other multiple times at the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon, they have never gone head-to-head at the US Open.