Opinion: The Wimbledon 2019 final was phenomenal, but the 2008 final is still the best

It took 4 hours and 55 minutes of top-quality tennis for Novak Djokovic to edge out Roger Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon final. Federer had defeated rival Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals two days earlier and was gunning for a record 9th Wimbledon title. The Serb saved two championship points and eventually won the match in the first-ever final set tiebreaker at Wimbledon.

The match was phenomenal, with both players giving it their all until the very end and playing breathtaking tennis throughout. While this match will go down as one of the greatest finals ever played, it still cannot outrank the classic that Federer had with Nadal in the 2008 Final.

The major reason being the story that was being told through both the matches.

Every match has a story in it. This year's final pitted the consistent top-seed Djokovic, looking to win his 5th Wimbledon and 16th overall Grand Slam against Federer, the 8-time former champion, who was looking to prove that at 37, he still had the game and fatigue to conquer Wimbledon again, having avenged his 2008 final defeat to Nadal in the semi-final.

In 2008, it was Roger who was the favorite. He had won five consecutive Wimbledon titles and had defeated Nadal in the previous two finals. He was up against the young Nadal, looking to prove himself to be more than just a clay-court specialist and was aiming for his first Grand Slam outside of the four French Opens he had won.

He had come extremely close the year before, only to come up short. In 2008, however, Nadal didn't let that happen. He would win the final set 9-7 to complete the French-Wimbledon double (a feat he would go on to repeat in 2010).

The impact this match had on the careers of the two as well as the sport was massive. Nadal's win showed that Federer was not invincible at Wimbledon and that he could beat him on any surface. It would provide him with so much confidence that he would go on to defeat Federer in the Australian Open Final in 2009 in another marathon match.

With Djokovic and Federer, the shot-making and quality of the game was right there at the very top and Federer’s backhand looked much better than in 2008. However, it was more of both players trying to play safe, not playing a lot of risky shots and looking to capitalize on the opponent's errors. Further, the second and fourth set saw Djokovic's game take a massive dip as Federer cruised to win those two sets.

In 2008, there was no dip at all. The attacking intent from both players was visible from the very first point, which saw Nadal hit a beautiful forehand topspin to win a 14 shot rally. There was quality on every shot. The game only improved with every set.

Whether it was Federer's surreal passing shot to break Nadal in the second game of the second set or Nadal using a cheeky backhand slice to set up break point - every point was a battle in itself. The fourth set tie-break, which saw Federer save two championship points, is regarded as one of the greatest tie-breaks ever played.

The Celebration continues

Before the match, there were doubts over Nadal’s abilities on courts other than clay and whether he had enough mental toughness to overcome the previous two losses to Federer. The match had it all – rain delays, heavy winds, tie-Breaks, championship points saved, and the drama was unmatched. Not only that, the win solidified Nadal as the best challenger to Federer in his future grand slam quests, a status he would further confirm by winning the 2009 Australian Open.

It was this match which established the Federer-Nadal rivalry, which is now regarded as one of the greatest in all of sports!

The scenes of Nadal falling down on the grass after his victory, going up to the box to celebrate and biting the trophy are truly iconic.