10 most painful Grand Slam defeats for Roger Federer

Modified Jul 16, 2019 10:40 GMT

Day Thirteen: The Championships - Wimbledon 2019

#2 2008 Wimbledon final: Nadal beat Federer ‎6–4 6–4 6–7(5) 6–7(8) 9–7

Nadal ended Federer's five-year Wimbledon reign, in the 2008 final

Close on the heels of a crushing defeat in the French Open final, Federer and Nadal met in a third consecutive Wimbledon final in 2008.

In a pulsating final, considered one of the best of all time, defending champion Federer's record 40 match win streak and five year Wimbledon reign came to an end, as Nadal's Grand Slam domination over the Swiss spilled over to Wimbledon.

The Swiss recovered from two sets down and saved two match points in the fourth set tiebreak to force a fifth set, where the level of play from both players reached dizzying heights.

With darkness descending, Federer lost serve deep in the fifth set at 7-7 and Nadal served out his first Wimbledon victory, following another match point saved by the Swiss.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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