2008 Wimbledon final
- Before and during
Rain delayed the start by 35 minutes and stopped play twice more. The last points were played in near darkness, finishing at 9:15 pm.
AP via ESPN - Fourth-set tiebreak
Nadal led 5–2 and double-faulted to 5–3. Federer saved two championship points, the second with a backhand pass down the line, and won the tiebreak 10–8.
AP via ESPN; Match Charting Project log - Fifth set, 4–3
Federer earned his only break point of the set with Nadal serving at 30–40. Nadal saved it.
AP via ESPN; Match Charting Project log - Fifth set, 7–7
Nadal broke on his fourth break point of the game, the first break by either man since the second set, then served it out. A Federer forehand into the net ended it on Nadal's fourth championship point.
AP via ESPN
The stat sheet
| Federer | Nadal | |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 25 | 6 |
| Double faults | 2 | 3 |
| First serves in | 66% | 73% |
| First-serve points won | 73% | 69% |
| Second-serve points won | 57% | 59% |
| Unforced errors | 52 | 27 |
| Break points won | 1/13 | 4/13 |
| Net points won | 42/75 | 22/31 |
| Total points won | 204 | 209 |
The match in numbers
In the charting, 58 % of points lasted three shots or fewer. Federer won the short points, 121 of 239. Nadal won the rallies of 10 shots or more, 20 of 34.
Match Charting ProjectNadal's first serves to the body won 25 of 29 points in the charting, 86 %.
Match Charting ProjectSixty per cent of Nadal's charted shots were forehands. Federer hit 85 backhand slices to Nadal's 37.
Match Charting Project
Point by point: the Match Charting Project log
Nadal aimed 62 % of his forehands cross-court at Federer's backhand. Aim your best shot at their weaker side, and keep doing it.
Tennishead analyst, Match Charting Project dataThe match turned on break points: Nadal converted 4 of 13, Federer 1 of 13. Winning the big points mattered more than winning more points overall.
Tennishead analyst
Questions
How long was the 2008 Wimbledon final?
4 hours 48 minutes of play, the longest men's Wimbledon final at the time, stretched over the evening by rain delays.
Who won more points in the 2008 Wimbledon final?
Nadal, 209 to 204. The margin was the break points: he converted 4 of 13 and saved 12 of 13.
What streak did Nadal end in 2008?
Federer's 40 straight wins at Wimbledon and his record 65 in a row on grass.
What we don't claim
- Sources disagree on the score when Federer saved the first championship point in the fourth-set tiebreak, so we don't give it.