Rafael Nadal's 2008 Wimbledon victory voted sporting moment of the decade

CMM · 12-31-2009, 05:33 AM

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ten...he-decade.html

Rafael's Nadal's epic victory over Roger Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon's men's final has been voted by www.telegraph.co.uk readers as the sporting moment of the decade.

Much like the final itself, the readers' poll was a close-run thing. Taking 17 per cent of the votes, Nadal/Federer edged Liverpool's 'Miracle of Istanbul' (15 per cent) into second place, with Arsenal's 'Invincible' season of 2003-04 coming third with 13 per cent. England's Rugby World Cup victory in 2003 came fourth, with 11 per cent of the vote.
It is indicative of our enduring passion for Wimbledon that a match between a Swiss and a Spaniard could generate such excitement.
No British male has reached a Wimbledon final in the Open era, while Virginia Wade's 1977 success is the last time a home woman lifted the trophy. Yet for many people, Wimbledon fortnight remains the highlight of the sporting year.
Nadal's 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 victory in near darkness is generally regarded as the greatest tennis match ever played. And it was fitting John McEnroe should be commenting on the match.
McEnroe's defeat against Bjorn Borg in the 1980 men's final had been enshrined in the popular consciousness as the ultimate match. But McEnroe was happy to concede that the final of 2008 eclipsed even that spectacle. "This is the greatest match I've ever seen," said McEnroe.
Wimbledon will never experience a match quite like it again, not least because it was the last final to be played without a roof.
The match lasted more than seven hours due to rain breaks, and as the fifth set dragged on there were fears the pair would have to return on Monday morning. But at 9.16pm, when Federer hit a forehand into the net, his domination of the All England Club lawns, which had lasted for five summers, finally came to an end.
The British response was somehow fitting too. At 9.20pm, shortly after Nadal had lifted the trophy, the National Grid recorded a 1,400 megawatt spike. It was the equivalent to 550,000 kettles being boiled.

Top sporting moments of the decade:

1: Rafael Nadal beats Roger Federer in 2008 Wimbledon final (17%)
2: Liverpool win Champions League in Istanbul (15%)
3: Arsenal complete 'Invincible' season (13%)
4: Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal wins the Rugby World Cup for England (11%)
5: Usain Bolt breaks world records in Beijing sprint double (6%)

Ronny · 12-31-2009, 05:38 AM

johnny wilkinson's drop goal to win the world cup was heartbreaking :'( hahaha

cucio · 12-31-2009, 05:56 AM

That match was a credit to all things tennis, I still get cramps in the stomach thinking about it. But watching Bolt ra-pe the 100 mt dash record was simply out of this world.

clayman2000 · 12-31-2009, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cucio

That match was a credit to all things tennis, I still get cramps in the stomach thinking about it. But watching Bolt ra-pe the 100 mt dash record was simply out of this world.

So true. Especially that the finals had all the big names. Gay ran a non-Bolt record and Powell ran a decent run finishing 3rd.

Larry David · 12-31-2009, 07:20 AM

It really was the greatest match of all time!!!

I dont think anything will ever be that exciting again

JoelDali · 12-31-2009, 07:24 AM

Watching it now on ESPN Classics re-inforces the incredible level of play they displayed.

Thank God I called in sick (Theraflu blows) today so I could watch this.

raiden031 · 12-31-2009, 07:34 AM

While the Wimby '08 match itself was better, I kinda think that Nadal winning the AO in '09 was a much bigger moment. The reasons being 1) the epic SF match he had prior to it with Verdasco and that was able to win yet another 5-setter in the F match, and 2) it was on a hard court. Wimby was more predictable because Nadal came close to winning in '07 so we all knew Nadal was good on grass. Even with the disappointing 5th set at the AO, I'd say this moment was better than Wimby '08.

Feña14 · 12-31-2009, 08:21 AM

Interesting, i'd of voted for a very poor Liverpool side coming back from 3-0 down to beat a fantastic Milan side, as being the best moment.

12-31-2009, 05:33 AM	#1
CMM Legend Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 6,330	Rafael Nadal's 2008 Wimbledon victory voted sporting moment of the decade http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ten...he-decade.html Rafael's Nadal's epic victory over Roger Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon's men's final has been voted by www.telegraph.co.uk readers as the sporting moment of the decade. Much like the final itself, the readers' poll was a close-run thing. Taking 17 per cent of the votes, Nadal/Federer edged Liverpool's 'Miracle of Istanbul' (15 per cent) into second place, with Arsenal's 'Invincible' season of 2003-04 coming third with 13 per cent. England's Rugby World Cup victory in 2003 came fourth, with 11 per cent of the vote. It is indicative of our enduring passion for Wimbledon that a match between a Swiss and a Spaniard could generate such excitement. No British male has reached a Wimbledon final in the Open era, while Virginia Wade's 1977 success is the last time a home woman lifted the trophy. Yet for many people, Wimbledon fortnight remains the highlight of the sporting year. Nadal's 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 victory in near darkness is generally regarded as the greatest tennis match ever played. And it was fitting John McEnroe should be commenting on the match. McEnroe's defeat against Bjorn Borg in the 1980 men's final had been enshrined in the popular consciousness as the ultimate match. But McEnroe was happy to concede that the final of 2008 eclipsed even that spectacle. "This is the greatest match I've ever seen," said McEnroe. Wimbledon will never experience a match quite like it again, not least because it was the last final to be played without a roof. The match lasted more than seven hours due to rain breaks, and as the fifth set dragged on there were fears the pair would have to return on Monday morning. But at 9.16pm, when Federer hit a forehand into the net, his domination of the All England Club lawns, which had lasted for five summers, finally came to an end. The British response was somehow fitting too. At 9.20pm, shortly after Nadal had lifted the trophy, the National Grid recorded a 1,400 megawatt spike. It was the equivalent to 550,000 kettles being boiled. Top sporting moments of the decade: 1: Rafael Nadal beats Roger Federer in 2008 Wimbledon final (17%) 2: Liverpool win Champions League in Istanbul (15%) 3: Arsenal complete 'Invincible' season (13%) 4: Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal wins the Rugby World Cup for England (11%) 5: Usain Bolt breaks world records in Beijing sprint double (6%)

12-31-2009, 05:38 AM	#2
Ronny Hall Of Fame Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Australia Posts: 1,536	johnny wilkinson's drop goal to win the world cup was heartbreaking :'( hahaha __________________ "Apple Mac = Fisher Price activity centre for adults." - David_Is_Right

12-31-2009, 05:56 AM	#3
cucio Legend Join Date: May 2007 Location: Tonginchik Posts: 6,439	That match was a credit to all things tennis, I still get cramps in the stomach thinking about it. But watching Bolt ra-pe the 100 mt dash record was simply out of this world. __________________ Fan of the fans.

12-31-2009, 07:24 AM	#6
JoelDali Legend Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 8,948	Watching it now on ESPN Classics re-inforces the incredible level of play they displayed. Thank God I called in sick (Theraflu blows) today so I could watch this. __________________ There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live and too rare to die.

12-31-2009, 07:34 AM	#7
raiden031 Legend Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 5,997	While the Wimby '08 match itself was better, I kinda think that Nadal winning the AO in '09 was a much bigger moment. The reasons being 1) the epic SF match he had prior to it with Verdasco and that was able to win yet another 5-setter in the F match, and 2) it was on a hard court. Wimby was more predictable because Nadal came close to winning in '07 so we all knew Nadal was good on grass. Even with the disappointing 5th set at the AO, I'd say this moment was better than Wimby '08. __________________ There's no place for pushers in doubles. Federer leads 5-4 against Nadal on non-clay surfaces.