#1. 2008 Wimbledon final against Roger Federer
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After reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open and winning a fourth consecutive French Open title, Rafael Nadal was eyeing the Wimbledon title and the World No. 1 ranking whereas Federer wanted to become the first man to win six consecutive Wimbledon titles.
Both players had an easy passage to the final with Nadal dropping only one set en route and Federer none The start of the final was delayed by around 35 minutes due to rain but once it started, the Spaniard looked to be in control of the match as he won the first two sets, 6-4 each time. Federer bounced back in the third set to lead 5-4 before rain stopped play for 80 minutes.
After play resumed, the third set went the distance and Federer held his nerve to take the tiebreak before saving two championship points to take the fourth set in another tiebreak. Rain once again intervened and delayed the match even further with murmurs of resuming play only the next day getting louder.
However, play resumed soon enough and in the final set, Federer was only two points away from a sixth Wimbledon title but Nadal held his nerve and serve. The Spaniard eventually ended Federer’s reign by taking the final set 9-7, thus ending the Swiss maestro’s 41-match unbeaten streak at Wimbledon and handing him his first Wimbledon defeat since Mario Ancic in 2002.
The match is still the longest Wimbledon final ever at 4 hours and 48 minutes and was the longest Grand Slam final before the 2012 Australian Open final. The 2008 Wimbledon final is regarded by many to be the greatest Wimbledon final of all time.
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