Four hours, forty-eight minutes and a final that finished in the dark
Nadal beat Federer 9-7 in the fifth at Wimbledon in 2008, twice interrupted by rain and completed in light too poor to continue much longer.
Tennis
The return, not the serve: what actually built twenty-four majors
Novak Djokovic's record is usually explained by flexibility and defence. The numbers point somewhere less romantic — the second-serve return.
Cabinet Public Affairs Office, Government of JapanCC BY 4.0
Twenty-eight singles majors, and a retirement that changed how a sport is covered
Shingo Kunieda retired in 2023 as the most successful wheelchair player in the game's history. The attention his career drew has outlasted it.
Latest tennis
Four hours, forty-eight minutes and a final that finished in the dark
Nadal beat Federer 9-7 in the fifth at Wimbledon in 2008, twice interrupted by rain and completed in light too poor to continue much longer.
ClavecinPublic domain
Two championship points saved, and the first Wimbledon final decided at 12-12
Djokovic beat Federer 13-12 in the fifth in 2019, the first year a final set tie-break existed at Wimbledon. Federer served for the match at 8-7.
Ten matches, no sets dropped: the qualifier who won a major
Emma Raducanu came through three qualifying rounds and seven in the main draw at the 2021 US Open without losing a set. Nobody had done it before.
ClavecinPublic domain
A twenty-third major, won against her sister, in the first weeks of a pregnancy
Serena Williams beat Venus 6-4 6-4 in the 2017 Australian Open final. She disclosed months later that she had been pregnant throughout the tournament.
The return, not the serve: what actually built twenty-four majors
Novak Djokovic's record is usually explained by flexibility and defence. The numbers point somewhere less romantic — the second-serve return.
Two ways to win the same points: Alcaraz, Sinner and a rivalry of opposites
One plays with variety and improvisation, the other with the flattest ball-striking on tour. What makes the match-up worth watching is that neither style is beating the other.
Cabinet Public Affairs Office, Government of JapanCC BY 4.0
Twenty-eight singles majors, and a retirement that changed how a sport is covered
Shingo Kunieda retired in 2023 as the most successful wheelchair player in the game's history. The attention his career drew has outlasted it.