2008 Rafael Nadal tennis season

The 2008 Rafael Nadal tennis season officially began on January 1 with the start of the 2008 ATP Tour. Nadal's 2008 tennis season is considered to be one of his best seasons on tour. Nadal won 8 titles in 2008, including two Grand Slams and the Olympic Gold medal. In addition, Nadal also won three Masters titles - Monte Carlo, Hamburg, and Toronto. Nadal's winning streak of 32 in 2008 is the longest across three surfaces in tennis history. He won the French Open for the loss of no sets and just 41 games, in one of the most comprehensive Grand Slam performances of all time. Nadal also won Wimbledon that year, defeating Roger Federer in what is widely recognized as the greatest tennis match in history. He won the Olympic Gold medal at Beijing, becoming the first ever top-5 player to win the Gold medal in the Open Era. Nadal also claimed the No. 1 ranking that year after the Olympics. He finally ascended to the top spot after 160 consecutive weeks as No. 2. Nadal would hold the No. 1 ranking for the rest of the season and finish the year ranked No. 1 for the first time in his career.[3]

Main article: Rafael Nadal

2008 Rafael Nadal tennis season

Rafael Nadal at the 2008 French Open.
Full name	Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera
Country	Spain
Calendar prize money	$6,773,776 (Singles $6,659,994, Doubles $113,782)[1][2]
Singles
Season record	82–11 (88.2%)
Calendar titles	8
Year-end ranking	No. 1
Ranking change from previous year	1
Grand Slam & significant results
Australian Open	SF
French Open	W
Wimbledon	W
US Open	SF
Other tournaments
Olympic Games	Gold Medal
Doubles
Season record	11–7 (61.1%)
Calendar titles	1
Year-end ranking	No. 110
Ranking change from previous year	10
Davis Cup
Davis Cup	W

Year summary

Nadal kickstarted his season with a runner-up showing at the Indian city of Chennai. He then played the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open. Nadal raced through the tournament before a shock straight-sets loss at the hands of Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals. Nadal then had a form slump, winning just three of his next five, and six of his next nine matches. Nadal had his second runner-up result that year at Miami, losing to long-term rival Nikolay Davydenko. Nadal then won his fourth consecutive Monte-Carlo Masters title, losing just 29 games in 5 matches. He followed that up with his second tournament win of the year at the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell. Nadal's winning streak of 10 matches was snapped when compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero stunned him in the second round of the Rome Masters, where Nadal was a three-time defending champion. Nadal then regrouped and began a 32-match winning streak across clay, grass, and hard courts, which is the longest streak on three surfaces in the history of the sport. He won his first Hamburg Masters title in May, and followed it up with a brilliant performance to win his fourth consecutive French Open title, losing just 4 games in the final. Nadal's streak continued with his first grass-court title at Queen's Club in London, and then his first-ever Wimbledon, where he outlasted Federer in what is considered the greatest match in tennis history. Nadal then won his third Masters title and first hard-court title of the year at Toronto. His streak was finally ended in the semifinals of the Cincinnati Masters by Novak Djokovic. Nadal then entered the Summer Olympics at Beijing, and became the first top-5 ranked player to win the Olympic Gold in the history of the sport. This win also catapulted Nadal to the top of the rankings for the first time in his career. Nadal then made his second hard-court Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open, before losing to Andy Murray in four tight sets. He then helped guide Spain into the Davis Cup Final, notching up wins over Sam Querrey and Andy Roddick. Nadal ended the year as World #1.

Spring hard-court season

Chennai Open

Nadal began the year by participating in the Chennai Open in Chennai, India. Nadal defeated Carlos Moyá in the semi-finals in (at the time) the longest three-set match in history, 6–7(3), 7–6(8), 7–6(1), lasting three hours and fifty-four minutes.[4] An exhausted Nadal went on to lose in the finals to Mikhail Youzhny 6–0, 6–1.

Australian Open

Nadal played his second tournament of the year at the Australian Open. Nadal stormed through the tournament, dropping no sets until he was shocked by the then world number 38 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals. He beat Viktor Troicki in the first round 7–6(3), 7–5, 6–1. He then demolished Frenchman Florent Serra, 6–0, 6–2, 6–2. In the third round, he defeated another Frenchman, Gilles Simon, 7–5, 6–2, 6–3. In the round of 16, he beat his third Frenchman of the tournament, Paul-Henri Mathieu, after Mathieu retired when he was down 4–6, 0–3. In the quarter-finals, he beat Jarkko Nieminen, 7–5, 6–3, 6–1. Nadal's impressive run came to a halt when Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga comprehensively beat him in the semi-finals 6–2, 6–3, 6–2.

ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament

Nadal then participated in his first indoor tournament of the year at the Rotterdam Open, Netherlands. Nadal beat Dmitry Tursunov 6–4, 6–4 in the first round before squandering a one-set lead to lose 6–3, 3–6, 4–6 to Italian Andreas Seppi.[5]

Dubai Tennis Championships

Nadal then returned to the Dubai Open, where he was a former champion. Nadal had won the title by beating Roger Federer in the 2006 Dubai Open, 2–6, 6–4, 6–4. This time around, however, his performance was less than impressive as he lost in the quarter-finals to American World No. 6 Andy Roddick. Nadal looked uncomfortable in his first-round match against Philipp Kohlschreiber, recovering from a one-set deficit to win 3–6, 6–1, 6–4. He then proceeded to push aside World No. 171 Mikhail Ledovskikh 6–4, 6–0, before losing to Roddick in the quarters, 6–7(5), 2–6.[6]

Rafael Nadal at the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open

Pacific Life Open

In the first Masters Series event of the year, Nadal put in a consistent performance to reach the semi-finals. He beat Colombian Santiago Giraldo in the second round 6–3, 6–3, before defeating American Donald Young 6–1, 6–3 in the third round. Nadal then defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a rematch of their Australian Open semi-final match-up. Nadal stuttered for a while but regrouped to exact revenge on his opponent, 6–7(4), 7–6(3), 7–5. Nadal then defeated World No. 9 James Blake in the quarter-finals in three sets - 7–5, 3–6, 6–3. In the semi-finals, he fell to World No. 3 and the man he beat in the previous year's final, Novak Djokovic, 3–6, 2–6.

Sony Ericsson Open

Nadal reached the final of Miami Masters for the second time in his career. He defeated German Benjamin Becker 7–5, 6–2 in the second round, followed by the demolition of another German, Nicolas Kiefer in the third round 6–2, 6–4. Nadal defeated James Blake for the second time in two weeks in the quarter-finals, and then beat big-hitting Czech Tomáš Berdych in the semi-finals, 7–6(6), 6–2. Nadal finally fell to long-time rival and the only man with a positive head-to-head against him (minimum 5 matches), Nikolay Davydenko, 4–6, 2–6.

Nadal then defeated Kiefer again at the Davis Cup World Group quarterfinals, 7–6(5), 6–0, 6–3.

European clay-court season

Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters

Nadal was back on the surface of his choice, red clay. A magnificent run on the red clay would set him up for the great year he had. Nadal won his fourth consecutive Monte Carlo Masters title. He lost just 29 games in 5 matches he played. Nadal received a bye into the second round, where he routed Croatian Mario Ančić 6–0, 6–3. Nadal then defeated fellow Spaniard and former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round, 6–4, 6–1. In the quarterfinals, Nadal beat World No. 5 David Ferrer 6–1, 7–5. Nadal then squandered just 5 games in a comprehensive defeat of Russian Nikolay Davydenko, before defeating long-time rival Roger Federer 7–5, 7–5 in the final to win his tenth Masters title.

Open Sabadell Atlántico Barcelona

Nadal entered the Barcelona Open as the top seed for the first time in a tournament that year. Nadal stormed through the tournament losing just one set, and extended his winning streak to 10. He defeated a succession of top-50 players up to the semifinals, including Potito Starace, compatriot Feliciano López and Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela. He then thrashed World No. 85 Denis Gremelmayr, 6–1, 6–0, before winning the trophy by defeating David Ferrer for the second time in two weeks, 6–1, 4–6, 6–1.

Internazionali BNL d'Italia

Nadal entered the Italian capital as a three-time defending champion. However, he fell in the second round to Juan Carlos Ferrero, 5–7, 1–6. This loss snapped his winning streak of 16 in the Italian capital.

Hamburg Masters

Nadal won for the first time at the German city of Hamburg, flagging off his 32-match winning streak which would continue on till the Cincinnati Masters in August. Nadal beat Potito Starace in the second round for the second time that month. He then won a lopsided third-round match against future Grand Slam champion Andy Murray before defeating Carlos Moyá for the second time that season, 6–1, 6–3. Nadal then had two tough matches back-to-back, but came out on top on both occasions. He beat World No. 3 Novak Djokovic 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 in the semifinals. In the finals, he avenged his loss the previous year's championship match by beating Roger Federer, 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-3.

Nadal hits a backhand at the 2008 French Open

Roland Garros

Nadal then entered the French Open as a three-time defending champion. Nadal's 2008 French Open is considered one of the greatest Grand Slam performances of all time. Nadal won every single set he played in the tournament, and dropped just 41 games en route to his fourth consecutive French Open title. Nadal defeated Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci in the first round for the loss of 9 games. He then walked past Frenchman Nicolas Devilder in the second round, and then Finn Jarkko Nieminen in the third round, for the total loss of just 10 games. Nadal then thrashed two fellow Spaniards, Fernando Verdasco and Nicolás Almagro back-to-back for the loss of just 6 games. In the semifinals, Nadal played the toughest match of his tournament, defeating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(3) to book his spot in the final. Nadal then proceeded to win one of the most lopsided finals in tennis history, routing World No. 1 Roger Federer for the third consecutive year, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.

Grass court season

Queen's Club Championships

Nadal entered the Queen's Club tournament as a warm-up to Wimbledon. At the time, Nadal was riding a 12-match winning streak and by the end of the tournament, he would have lengthened the streak to 17. Nadal defeated Swede Jonas Björkman in the second round, before stumbling through his next two matches, beating Kei Nishikori in three sets in the third round and then 6'10 Ivo Karlović in three tie-break sets in the quarterfinals. Nadal then defeated another big server, Andy Roddick 7–5, 6–4 in the semifinals; finally winning his first ever grasscourt title by sidling past Novak Djokovic for the third time that year.

The Championships, Wimbledon

Wimbledon 2008 final, Federer serves for the third set

Nadal entered the 2008 Wimbledon Championships as the two-time runner-up. He was riding a winning streak of 17 matches. Nadal had lost the previous two finals to Roger Federer, including the 2007 Wimbledon final, which was considered to be one of the great matches in recent times. Nadal defeated German Andreas Beck in the first round. He then lost his first set of the tournament in a tight second-round match against Latvian Ernests Gulbis. Nadal stormed through the rest of the tournament, thrashing Nicolas Kiefer, 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-3, Russian Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 and future Wimbledon Champion Andy Murray, 6–3, 6-2, 6-4. Nadal then defeated surprise semifinalist Rainer Schüttler 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-4 to set up a third consecutive Wimbledon final with 5-time defending champion Roger Federer. Nadal then played what is considered the greatest match in tennis history, defeating Federer in a 4-hour, 48-minute match, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 in the longest Wimbledon final in history. The win gave Nadal his first Grand Slam outside the French Open, and his fifth Grand Slam overall. The match is notable for its long, well-crafted rallies and the clutch shots produced on crucial points. Federer saved two match points in the fourth-set tie-break, but eventually caved on Nadal's fourth match-point. The two greatest passing shots of the tournament were hit back-to-back late into the fourth-set tiebreak. Nadal hit a clutch forehand pass to set up match-point on his own serve. Federer responded with a backhand pass to save the match-point. Federer eventually closed out the set, but lost the match. Many experts agree this match set Nadal up to the great success that would ensue in the following months.[7][8]

Summer hard-court season

Rogers Cup

Nadal with the 2008 Rogers Cup trophy

Nadal rode his streak through the Toronto Masters event in Toronto, Canada. He received a bye into the second round where he routed home hope Jesse Levine, 6–4, 6–2. In the third round, Nadal thrashed Russian Igor Andreev 6–2, 7–6(1). Nadal then faced childhood rival Richard Gasquet in the quarterfinals. He lost the first set in an excruciatingly long tie-break, 6–7^(12–14). However, he recovered immediately and pushed Gasquet aside by winning the next two sets 6–2, 6–1. In the semifinals, Nadal was matched up against up-and-comer Andy Murray. Nadal won 7–6, 6–3, reaching his third hard-court final of the year. The final was a contest between him and German Nicolas Kiefer. Nadal destroyed Kiefer 6–3, 6–2 to win his first hard-court title of the year and extend his streak to 29 match wins.

Western & Southern Financial Open

Nadal next played at the only Masters tournament he has never reached the final at, the Cincinnati Masters. He strode through the draw, demolishing Frenchman Florent Serra for the loss of just one game and then taking down former World No. 2 Tommy Haas, 6–2, 7–6(1). In the quarterfinals, Nadal beat Ecuadorian Nicolás Lapentti in the last win of his streak. It finally ended when World No. 3 Novak Djokovic defeated Nadal in the semifinals, 6–1, 7–5.

All Matches

Singles matches

Tournament	Match Win	Round	Opponent	Rank	Result	Score
Chennai Open Chennai, India ATP World Tour 250 Hard, outdoor December 31, 2007 – January 6, 2008	274	1R	Mathieu Montcourt	123	Win	6–2, 6–4
	275	2R	Rajeev Ram	253	Win	6–2, 6–1
	276	QF	Guillermo García-López	90	Win	6–3, 6–2
	277	SF	Carlos Moyá	17	Win	6–7^(3–7), 7–6^(10–8), 7–6^(7–1)
	277	F	Mikhail Youzhny	19	Loss (1)	0–6, 1–6
Australian Open Melbourne, Australia Grand Slam Hard, outdoor January 14–27, 2008	278	1R	Viktor Troicki	126	Win	7–6^(7–3), 6–3, 6–1
	279	2R	Florent Serra	88	Win	6–0, 6–2, 6–2
	280	3R	Gilles Simon	33	Win	7–5, 6–2, 6–3
	281	4R	Paul-Henri Mathieu	25	Win	6–4, 3–0 RET
	282	QF	Jarkko Nieminen	26	Win	7–5, 6–3, 6–1
	282	SF	Jo-Wilfried Tsonga	38	Loss	2–6, 3–6, 2–6
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament Rotterdam, Netherlands ATP World Tour 500 Hard, indoor February 18–24, 2008	283	1R	Dmitry Tursunov	33	Win	6–4, 6–4
	283	2R	Andreas Seppi	42	Loss	6–3, 3–6, 4–6
Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships Dubai, UAE ATP World Tour 500 Hard, outdoor March 3–9, 2008	284	1R	Philipp Kohlschreiber	27	Win	3–6, 6–1, 6–4
	285	2R	Mikhail Ledovskikh	171	Win	6–4, 6–0
	285	QF	Andy Roddick	6	Loss	6–7^(5–7), 2–6
Pacific Life Open Indian Wells, United States ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor March 13–19, 2008	–	1R	Bye
	286	2R	Santiago Giraldo	141	Win	6–3, 6–3
	287	3R	Donald Young	86	Win	6–1, 6–3
	288	4R	Jo-Wilfried Tsonga	17	Win	6–7^(4–7), 7–6^(7–5),7–5
	289	QF	James Blake	9	Win	7–5, 3–6, 6–3
	289	SF	Novak Djokovic	3	Loss	3–6, 2–6
Sony Ericsson Open Miami, United States ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor March 27–April 9, 2008	–	1R	Bye
	290	2R	Benjamin Becker	108	Win	7–5, 6–2
	291	3R	Nicolas Kiefer	51	Win	6–2, 6–4
	292	4R	Paul-Henri Mathieu	16	Win	6–4, 6–4
	293	QF	James Blake	9	Win	3–6, 6–3, 6–1
	294	SF	Tomáš Berdych	10	Win	7–6^(8–6), 6–2
	294	F	Nikolay Davydenko	4	Loss (2)	4–6, 2–6
Davis Cup, GER v/s ESP World Group Quarterfinals Germany Davis Cup Hard, indoor 11 April 2008	295	QF	Nicolas Kiefer	47	Win	7–6^(7–5), 6–0, 6–3
Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters Monte Carlo, Monaco ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Clay, outdoor April 20–26, 2008	–	1R	Bye
	296	2R	Mario Ančić	55	Win	6–0, 6–3
	297	3R	Juan Carlos Ferrero	24	Win	6–4, 6–1
	298	QF	David Ferrer	5	Win	6–1, 7–5
	299	SF	Nikolay Davydenko	4	Win	6–3, 6–2
	300	F	Roger Federer	1	Win (1)	7–5, 7–5
Open Sabadell Atlántico Barcelona Barcelona, Spain ATP World Tour 500 Clay, outdoor April 28–May 4, 2008	–	1R	Bye
	301	2R	Potito Starace	45	Win	6–4, 6–2
	302	3R	Feliciano López	35	Win	6–4, 6–3
	303	QF	Juan Ignacio Chela	37	Win	6–4, 6–2
	304	SF	Denis Gremelmayr	85	Win	6–1, 6–0
	305	F	David Ferrer	5	Win (2)	6–1, 4–6, 6–1
Internazionali BNL d'Italia Rome, Italy ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Clay, outdoor 5–11 May 2008	–	1R	Bye
	305	2R	Juan Carlos Ferrero	23	Loss	5–7, 1–6
Masters Series Hamburg Hamburg, Germany ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Clay, outdoor 11–17 May 2008	–	1R	Bye
	306	2R	Potito Starace	45	Win	6–4, 7–6^(8–6)
	307	3R	Andy Murray	14	Win	6–3, 6–2
	308	QF	Carlos Moyá	12	Win	6–1, 6–3
	309	SF	Novak Djokovic	3	Win	7–5, 2–6, 6–2
	310	F	Roger Federer	1	Win (3)	7–5, 6–7^(3–7), 6–3
French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Clay, outdoor 25 May–7 June 2008	311	1R	Thomaz Bellucci	76	Win	7–5, 6–3, 6–1
	312	2R	Nicolas Devilder	148	Win	6–4, 6–0, 6–1
	313	3R	Jarkko Nieminen	26	Win	6–1, 6–3, 6–1
	314	4R	Fernando Verdasco	23	Win	6–1, 6–0, 6–2
	315	QF	Nicolás Almagro	20	Win	6–1, 6–1, 6–1
	316	SF	Novak Djokovic	3	Win	6–4, 6–2, 7–6^(7–4)
	317	F	Roger Federer	1	Win (4)	6–1, 6–3, 6–0
Artois Championships London, United Kingdom ATP World Tour 250 Grass, outdoor 9–15 June 2008	–	1R	Bye
	318	2R	Jonas Björkman	102	Win	6–2, 6–2
	319	3R	Kei Nishikori	113	Win	6–4, 3–6, 6–3
	320	QF	Ivo Karlović	22	Win	6–7^(5–7), 7–6^(7–5), 7–6^(7–4)
	321	SF	Andy Roddick	6	Win	7–5, 6–4
	322	F	Novak Djokovic	3	Win (5)	7–6^(8–6), 7–5
The Championships, Wimbledon Wimbledon, United Kingdom Grand Slam Grass, outdoor 23 June–6 July 2008	323	1R	Andreas Beck	122	Win	6–4, 6–4, 7–6^(7–0)
	324	2R	Ernests Gulbis	48	Win	5–7, 6–2, 7–6^(7–2), 6–3
	325	3R	Nicolas Kiefer	32	Win	7–6^(7–3), 6–2, 6–3
	326	4R	Mikhail Youzhny	17	Win	6–3, 6–3, 6–1
	327	QF	Andy Murray	11	Win	6–3, 6–2, 6–4
	328	SF	Rainer Schüttler	94	Win	6–1, 7–6^(7–3), 6–4
	329	F	Roger Federer	1	Win (6)	6–4, 6–4, 6–7^(5–7), 6–7^(8–10), 9–7
Rogers Cup Toronto, Canada ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor 21–27 July 2008	–	1R	Bye
	330	2R	Jesse Levine	123	Win	6–4, 6–2
	331	3R	Igor Andreev	26	Win	6–2, 7–6^(7–1)
	332	QF	Richard Gasquet	12	Win	6–7^(12–14), 6–2, 6–1
	333	SF	Andy Murray	9	Win	7–6^(7–2), 6–3
	334	F	Nicolas Kiefer	37	Win (7)	6–3, 6–2
Western & Southern Open Ohio, United States ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor July 28–August 3, 2008	–	1R	Bye
	335	2R	Florent Serra	84	Win	6–0, 6–1
	336	3R	Tommy Haas	42	Win	6–4, 7–6^(7–0)
	337	QF	Nicolás Lapentti	89	Win	7–6^(7–3), 6–1
	337	SF	Novak Djokovic	3	Loss	1–6, 5–7
Summer Olympic Games Beijing, China Hard, outdoor 11–17 August 2008	338	1R	Potito Starace	74	Win	6–2, 3–6, 6–2
	339	2R	Lleyton Hewitt	38	Win	6–1, 6–2
	340	3R	Igor Andreev	23	Win	6–4, 6–2
	341	QF	Jürgen Melzer	51	Win	6–0, 6–4
	342	SF	Novak Djokovic	3	Win	6–4, 1–6, 6–4
	343	F	Fernando González	15	Win (8)	6–3, 7–6^(7–2), 6–3
US Open New York, USA Grand Slam Hard, outdoor August 25–September 7, 2008	344	1R	Björn Phau	136	Win	7–6^(7–4), 6–3, 7–6^(7–4)
	345	2R	Ryler DeHeart	261	Win	6–1, 6–2, 6–4
	346	3R	Viktor Troicki	71	Win	6–4, 6–3, 6–0
	347	4R	Sam Querrey	55	Win	6–2, 5–7, 7–6^(7–2), 6–3
	348	QF	Mardy Fish	35	Win	3–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–2
	348	SF	Andy Murray	6	Loss	2–6, 6–7^(5–7), 6–4, 4–6
Davis Cup, USA v/s ESP World Group Semifinals Spain Davis Cup Clay, outdoor 19–21 September 2008	349	SF	Sam Querrey	39	Win	6–7^(5–7), 6–4, 6–3, 6–4
	350	SF	Andy Roddick	8	Win	6–4, 6–0, 6–4
Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid Madrid, Spain ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, indoor October 12–18, 2008	–	1R	Bye
	351	2R	Ernests Gulbis	54	Win	7–5, 3–6, 6–3
	352	3R	Richard Gasquet	14	Win	6–4, 6–2
	353	QF	Feliciano López	40	Win	6–4, 6–4
	353	SF	Gilles Simon	16	Loss	6–3, 5–7, 6–7^(6–8)
BNP Paribas Open Paris, France ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, indoor October 26–November 2, 2008	–	1R	Bye
	354	2R	Florent Serra	63	Win	6–2, 6–4
	355	3R	Gaël Monfils	16	Win	6–3, 6–2
	355	QF	Nikolay Davydenko	6	Loss	1–6 RET

Doubles matches

Tournament	Match Win	Partner	Round	Opponents	Ranks	Result	Score
Chennai Open Chennai, India ATP World Tour 250 Hard, outdoor December 31, 2007 – January 6, 2008	58	Bartolome Salva-Vidal	1R	Marcos Baghdatis Marc Gicquel	106 148	Loss	4–6, 4–6
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament Rotterdam, Netherlands ATP World Tour 500 Hard, indoor February 18–24, 2008	59	Tommy Robredo	1R	Feliciano López Fernando Verdasco	124 115	Win	7–6^(7–2), 7–5
	59		2R	Simon Aspelin Julian Knowle	8 6	Loss	W/O
Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships Dubai, UAE ATP World Tour 500 Hard, outdoor March 3–9, 2008	60	Feliciano López	1R	Jeff Coetzee Wesley Moodie	24 32	Win	6–4, 7–6^(7–5)
	60		2R	Mahesh Bhupathi Mark Knowles	18 3	Loss	1–6, 1–6
Pacific Life Open Indian Wells, United States ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor March 13–19, 2008	60	David Ferrer	1R	Paul Hanley Leander Paes	15 18	Loss	3–6, 4–6
Sony Ericsson Open Miami, United States ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor March 27–April 9, 2008	60	Tommy Robredo	1R	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	1 1	Loss	6–7^(5–7), 6–3, (5–10)
Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters Monte Carlo, Monaco ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Clay, outdoor April 20–26, 2008	61	Tommy Robredo	1R	Guillaume Couillard Jean-Rene Lisnard	1017 304	Win	6–2, 6–1
	62		2R	Daniel Nestor Nenad Zimonjić	4 8	Win	5–7, 6–3, (10–3)
	63		QF	František Čermák Philipp Kohlschreiber	31 65	Win	6–7^(5–7), 6–1, (10–3)
	64		SF	Jonas Björkman Kevin Ullyett	23 16	Win	5–7, 7–6^(8–6), (10–7)
	65		F	Mahesh Bhupathi Mark Knowles	13 3	Win (1)	6–3, 6–3
Artois Championships London, United Kingdom ATP World Tour 250 Grass, outdoor 9–15 June 2008	65	Mariano Hood	1R	Fernando González Nicolás Lapentti	115 191	Loss	6–7^(4–7), 5–7
Rogers Cup Toronto, Canada ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, outdoor 21–27 July 2008	65	Tommy Robredo	1R	Igor Andreev Nikolay Davydenko	426 302	Loss	6–3, 3–6, (7–10)
Summer Olympic Games Beijing, China Hard, outdoor 11–17 August 2012	66	Tommy Robredo	1R	Jonas Björkman Robin Söderling	11 156	Win	6–3, 6–3
	66		2R	Chris Guccione Lleyton Hewitt	253 634	Loss	2–6, 6–7^(5–7)
Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid Madrid, Spain ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, indoor October 12–18, 2008	67	Carlos Moyá	1R	James Blake Mardy Fish	128 82	Win	4–6, 7–6^(7–5), (10–5)
	67		2R	Mahesh Bhupathi Mark Knowles	11 5	Loss	W/O
2008 BNP Paribas Masters Paris, France ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard, indoor October 26–November 2, 2008	68	Juan Mónaco	1R	Paul-Henri Mathieu Nicolas Mahut	109 80	Win	6–2, 6–4
	69		2R	Mahesh Bhupathi Mark Knowles	7 5	Win	6–4, 6–2
	69		QF	Jeff Coetzee Wesley Moodie	13 15	Loss	W/O

References

1. https://www.atpworldtour.com/players/rafael-nadal/n409/player-activity?year=2008&matchType=singles
2. https://www.atpworldtour.com/players/rafael-nadal/n409/player-activity?year=2008&matchType=doubles
3. "Nadal's singles playing activity, 2008".
4. "Nadal survives Moya scare to reach final". Reuters. January 5, 2008.
5. "Seppi vs Nadal highlights, Rotterdam 2008".
6. "Roddick beats Nadal in Dubai".
7. "Greatest match of all time. SI 2008". CNN. July 9, 2008.
8. "The greatest match ever played. ESPN".