This year and this week marked the 10th anniversary of that final. The greatest tennis final of all time. Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal in 2008 Wimbledon final. But rather than rehash the same shots and just talking about it is the greatest, this BBC documentary goes in-depth with both players and beyond. Strokes of Genius: Federer v Nadal uses archive footage to tell the story of both men from childhood to their career peaks. And it just so happens they are the two greatest male players of all time.
What’s Strokes of Genius about? (TL;DR)
Regarded as the greatest tennis match of all time, Strokes of Genius documents the Wimbledon 2008 final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The pair played into the darkness and five gruelling sets with Nadal claiming his first Wimbledon title, 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–7(8–10), 9–7.
Interviews with the likes of John McEnroe, Björn Borg, Chris Evert, and Martina Navratilova alongside comments from family and friends from both camps, provide a well-rounded picture of what it meant to everyone involved on and off the court. I watched it from start to finish and I was emotionally wrought at the end. My fave – Roger – had lost and it took me a while to reconcile with what happened but it was truly the greatest tennis match ever.
Stream the trailer above, watch it on Apple TV, and long live the rivalry.