page_title: 2008 Rafael Nadal tennis season
section_title: The Championships, Wimbledon
hierarchical_section_title: 2008 Rafael Nadal tennis season / Year summary / Grass court season / The Championships, Wimbledon
caption_attribution_description: Wimbledon Men's final 2008, Federer serves for 3rd set
context_page_description: The 2008 Rafael Nadal tennis season officially began on January 1 with the start of the 2008 ATP Tour. Nadal's 2008 tennis season is considered to be one of his best seasons on tour. Nadal won 8 titles in 2008, including two Grand Slams and the Olympic Gold medal. In addition, Nadal also won three Masters titles - Monte Carlo, Hamburg, and Toronto. Nadal's winning streak of 32 in 2008 is the longest across three surfaces in tennis history. He won the French Open for the loss of no sets and just 41 games, in one of the most comprehensive Grand Slam performances of all time. Nadal also won Wimbledon that year, defeating Roger Federer in what is widely recognized as the greatest tennis match in history. He won the Olympic Gold medal at Beijing, becoming the first ever top-5 player to win the Gold medal in the Open Era. Nadal also claimed the No. 1 ranking that year after the Olympics. He finally ascended to the top spot after 160 consecutive weeks as No. 2. Nadal would hold the No. 1 ranking for the rest of the season and finish the year ranked No. 1 for the first time in his career.
context_section_description: Nadal entered the 2008 Wimbledon Championships as the two-time runner-up. He was riding a winning streak of 17 matches. Nadal had lost the previous two finals to Roger Federer, including the 2007 Wimbledon final, which was considered to be one of the great matches in recent times. Nadal defeated German Andreas Beck in the first round. He then lost his first set of the tournament in a tight second-round match against Latvian Ernests Gulbis. Nadal stormed through the rest of the tournament, thrashing Nicolas Kiefer, 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-3, Russian Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 and future Wimbledon Champion Andy Murray, 6–3, 6-2, 6-4. Nadal then defeated surprise semifinalist Rainer Schüttler 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-4 to set up a third consecutive Wimbledon final with 5-time defending champion Roger Federer. Nadal then played what is considered the greatest match in tennis history, defeating Federer in a 4-hour, 48-minute match, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 in the longest Wimbledon final in history. The win gave Nadal his first Grand Slam outside the French Open, and his fifth Grand Slam overall. The match is notable for its long, well-crafted rallies and the clutch shots produced on crucial points. Federer saved two match points in the fourth-set tie-break, but eventually caved on Nadal's fourth match-point. The two greatest passing shots of the tournament were hit back-to-back late into the fourth-set tiebreak. Nadal hit a clutch forehand pass to set up match-point on his own serve. Federer responded with a backhand pass to save the match-point. Federer eventually closed out the set, but lost the match. Many experts agree this match set Nadal up to the great success that would ensue in the following months.
caption: Wimbledon 2008 final, Federer serves for the third set
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