Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer’s storied rivalry culminated in an epic Wimbledon final on this day in 2008, which is widely regarded as the greatest tennis match ever.
– On this day: July 5, 1975 – Arthur Ashe wins Wimbledon
The pair entered having won a combined 14 of the previous 16 grand slams, with Federer seeking his sixth straight Wimbledon title.
The match lasted four hours and 48 minutes as the two traded blows, with Nadal taking a 2-0 lead before Federer answered with clutch tiebreaker wins in the third and fourth set to even the score.
The fifth and deciding set saw Federer come within two points of sealing the victory, but Nadal held serve and had just enough to ultimately claim the crown 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7.
1933: Major League Baseball holds their first All-Star Game at Comiskey Park in Chicago, won 4-2 by the American League with Babe Ruth hitting the event’s first ever home run.
1956: Peter Thomson wins the 85th Open Championship at Hoylake with a total of 286.
1993: Graham Thorpe hits a century with 114-run knock on his Test debut for England against Australia.
2013: The British Lions defeat Australia 41-16 to win their Test series, their first series victory since 1997.
