The 2008 Wimbledon Men's Final

The 2008 men's Wimbledon final match was--at 4 hours and 44 minutes--the longest in Wimbledon history. This article details the Wimbledon final, including the players, the match, and the result

The Wimbledon Men's Final: The Players

The Wimbledon men's final was played between the world's best two tennis players, number one Roger Federer and number two Rafael Nadal. Federer had previously won twelve grand slam titles, including five at Wimbledon--every year from 2003 through 2007. Before the Wimbledon final, Nadal had won six grand slam titles, none at Wimbledon. In both 2006 and 2007 Roger Federer defeated Nadal at the Wimbledon finals. Nadal, the only man to have ever beaten Federer in a grand-slam championship, has a storied rivalry with him.

The Wimbledon Men's Final: The Match

Roger Federer was off to a rough start in the match. Nadal was able to gain an early lead at Wimbledon, defeating Federer 6-4 in each of the first two sets. The third and fourth sets were both opportunities for Nadal to pull ahead and win the Wimbledon championship, but in each set he was disappointed. Both sets went to tiebreakers, and in each Federer ultimately won 7-6. The championship match came down to the fifth set. Federer was first to serve, and for quite some time, neither player was able to break the other's serve. Because there is no tiebreaker in the fifth set, when the set was tied 6-6 the match continued, the winner still to be determined.

The Wimbledon Men's Final: The Winner

Federer was consistently performing in the fifth set either tied with Nadal or having a one-game lead. Federer was leading 7-6 when Nadal won his service to pull even at 7-7, the service returning to Federer. It was at this point that Nadal was able to gain the advantage. He was able to break Federer's service in this game, allowing him to gain the fifth-set lead for the first time. As Federer had only won 1 of 13 break points during the entire match, it seemed an almost insurmountable task for him to beat Nadal in this next game. Federer was able to prevent Nadal's first fifth-set championship point however, bringing the score to deuce. Nadal won the next two successive points however, falling to the ground in joy at having won the championship. He had won the fifth set 9-7.

The Wimbledon Men's Final: The Wrap Up

After his win, Nadal climbed the wall into his parents' box and then ran into the Royal box, where the Prince and Princess of Spain had come to watch him play.

When interviewed, Federer graciously acknowledged that Nadal had played extremely well, but that he would be back to compete again in 2009.

The Wimbledon title was Nadal's first, bringing him to a total of seven grand slam championships