The Greatest Match Ever

Few tennis matches have seemed as fated to be classics as the one that was played on Wimbledon’s Centre Court on July 6, 2008. The skies over southwest London were ominous that afternoon, but anticipation had rarely run higher. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were about to face off in another final at the All England Club.

- Stephen Tignor

The Swiss and the Spaniard had been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 for three years, and had established their rivalry as one of the most riveting in any sport. Each summer, their clashes took on titanic proportions as they crossed the English Channel and attempted to invade each other’s empires.

In 2006 and 2007, Nadal and Federer met in the finals at the French Open and Wimbledon. Nadal, the king of clay, won twice at Roland Garros; Federer, the king of grass, won both times on Centre Court. In Paris in 2008, Nadal surrendered just four games to Federer in the French Open final. Could Federer, the five-time defending champion at Wimbledon, answer Nadal’s challenge at the All England Club one more time?

The first point of the match gave the world an indication of what was to come, and who would eventually prevail. Standing toe-to-toe at their respective baselines, Federer and Nadal engaged in an exquisitely ferocious 14-shot rally, before Nadal finally hooked a forehand a few inches out of Federer’s reach. The match was barely a minute old, and the crowd was already letting out gasps.

They would continue, with few let-ups, until the last ball was struck nearly seven hours later.

At 9:16 p.m., as a victorious Nadal fell to the grass and flashbulbs popped around a darkened Centre Court—the atmosphere was literally electric—the match was already being hailed as the greatest of all time. Even its 6–4, 6–4, 6–7 (5), 6–7 (8), 9-7 score had a symmetrical, escalating beauty.