On this day: Rafael Nadal edges Roger Federer to complete clay Masters
Since 2005, Rafael Nadal was the dominant figure on clay, winning the majority of big titles and establishing domination in Monte Carlo, Rome and Roland Garros. With his eyes sets on those three tournaments, Nadal had to sacrifice the third Masters 1000 event on clay in Hamburg, playing there in 2003 at the age of 16 and missing the next three editions. In 2007, Roger Federer defeated him in the final and Nadal had only one more chance to celebrate in Germany, with Hamburg losing the status of Masters 1000 event from 2009, replaced by Madrid Open at Caja Magica. The mighty Spaniard who was already one of the greatest clay-courters of all time had lost some tight battles on hard court in the first three months of 2008 season but was back at home on his beloved surface, conquering Monte Carlo and Barcelona before an early loss in Rome due to severe blisters.
Rafa used the next couple of days to rest and decided to try to win Hamburg, defeating Potito Starace, Andy Murray and Carlos Moya in straight sets to set the semi-final clash against Novak Djokovic, prevailing after three hours and three minutes of an epic battle. Just like in 2007, Roger Federer stood on the other side of the net, hoping to defend the crown and claim the fifth Masters 1000 title in Hamburg since 2002. Despite that clash with Novak that cost him a lot of energy, Nadal was ready for another stern test on the next day, overpowering Roger 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 in two hours and 52 minutes, becoming only the third player with all three Masters 1000 titles on clay after Marcelo Rios and Gustavo Kuerten. This was already the 11th Masters 1000 crown for the 21-year-old Spaniard, matching Pete Sampras and marching towards the record-holder Andre Agassi who was the leader at that point with 17.
Just like in Monte Carlo, Federer gave his best to stay in touch with the biggest rival, pushing each other to the limits in the opening two sets before Rafa found the winning formula in the decider for the tenth win over Roger in 16 encounters and the eighth in nine matches on clay. After nearly three hours, Nadal won just seven points more than Roger, reducing the number of errors and standing not far behind the Swiss in the winners department to cross the finish line first, creating 17 break chances and converting six. On the other hand, Federer grabbed four breaks and that was enough to keep him safe only in the first two sets, unable to match Nadal's level in the decider. The defending champion had the edge in the shortest rallies up to four strokes but the points were on Rafa's racquet once they would get more extended, with the Spaniard controlling the mid-range and most prolonged exchanges to forge the win and write history on May 18, 2008, in Hamburg.
Roger continued where he left in the last year's final when he won the third set 6-0, breaking in game two after a double fault from Nadal. A forehand error from the Spaniard pushed the Swiss 3-0 up after only 11 minutes and this was the best possible start at his favorite clay event versus the toughest opponent. Rafa finally held in game four with a service winner and created a break point in the next game that Federer saved to move 4-1 up after an ace. Nadal was yet to find the rhythm and he got broken at love in game six, sending Roger 5-1 in front after only 27 minutes and having to raise the level significantly to challenge the crowd favorite. In one of the crucial games for the entire encounter, Federer wasted a set point in the next game and suffered a break after a weak volley, keeping Nadal in the set before creating another set point on the return in game seven, denied by a forehand winner from Rafa who blasted another one for a hold.
The Spaniard started to hit with more pace in those moments, landing another forehand crosscourt winner in game nine to pull the second break back and gain a massive boost. Unable to defend his backhand or impose shots as he would have wanted, Federer sprayed a forehand error at 5-5 to give serve away for the third time in a row, allowing Nadal to rattle off six straight games and steal the set with a service winner in game 12 after precisely an hour. The Spaniard was the only player on the court at the moment, kicking off the second set with another forehand winner and the fourth break in a row before Roger broke back thanks to a forced error from the opponent. Facing two break points in game three, Federer won four quick points for an essential hold, taking the lead and forcing a mistake from Rafa to break him and jump into a 3-1 advantage.
A service winner secured another good hold for the Swiss who raced into a 4-1 lead, hitting another unreturned serve at 4-2 to move closer to the finish line in set number two. Serving for the set at 5-3, Federer again lacked that one last push, similar to the opening set, losing serve after a beautiful backhand crosscourt winner from Rafa who was back on the scoreboard again, leveling the score at 5-5 and creating three break points in the 11th game that could have sealed the deal for him. In no time at all, Federer repelled those with three service winners, bringing the game home with a volley winner and forcing the rival to serve for staying in the set. Nadal did that in style to set up a tie break that Roger claimed 7-3 with a deep return, sending the encounter into a decider after two hours and four minutes of play.
Leaving the previous set behind him, Rafa delivered two easy holds at the beginning of the final set and secured a break in game four after a backhand error from Federer. Another loose forehand from the Swiss pushed the Spaniard further in front and he had more chances to break Roger's resistance after a smash winner in game six. Federer erased three break points (beautiful volley winner on the third), closing the game with another good volley to stay within one break deficit. Roger even created a break point in the next game but Nadal saved it with a well-constructed attack, opening a 5-2 gap and crossing the finish line with four winners in game nine, celebrating the first title in Hamburg and the place in the history books at such a young age.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2VC5aDg
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