2008 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles 2008 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal defeated the five-time defending champion Roger Federer in the final, 6–4, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7, 9–7 to win the Gentlemen's Singles tennis title at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. It was the longest championship match in Wimbledon history with play lasting four hours and 48 minutes, and with two rain delays. The event stretched over seven hours ending just before nightfall, and is widely considered to be the greatest match in tennis history. Roger Federer "(Final)" Gaël Monfils withdrew due to a shoulder injury. He was replaced in the draw by Lucky Loser Ilija
1973 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles 1973 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles 81 of the top Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) players, including defending champion Stan Smith, boycotted the Wimbledon Championships in 1973 in protest against the suspension of Nikola Pilić by the Yugoslav Tennis Association, supported by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF). This resulted in a large number of qualifiers and lucky losers. Jan Kodeš defeated Alex Metreveli in the final, 6–1, 9–8, 6–3 to win the Gentlemen's Singles tennis title at the 1973 Wimbledon Championships. The final match included a tie-breaker played at 8–8 in the second set; the first ever Wimbledon singles