Rafael Nadal Wins the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final, July 6, 2008

“On the day of what legends John McEnroe and Björn Borg would later call the greatest tennis match they’d ever witnessed, storm clouds lingered over Wimbledon Centre Court. Federer, the ‘King of Grass’, was attempting to win six consecutive Wimbledon titles. To reach this goal, something no man had achieved in the Open Era, he had to defeat the ‘King of Clay’, Rafa Nadal. The previous month, Nadal had thrashed Federer in the final at Roland Garros. It was time for Roger’s revenge.

I came to the match mid-afternoon, when a position on the west side near the Royal Box became available, and settled in for what was going to be a very long afternoon. Nadal had started ferociously well, going two sets to love up and leaving Federer seemingly bereft of ideas. Then the weather intervened. Federer won the next two sets to make the atmosphere absolutely electric and prepare for the deciding set.

By around 20:45, it had grown very dark; with no roof or lights, my camera was struggling. It was one of the early digital cameras, a Canon EOS 1D Mk 2N, and I couldn’t push the ISO beyond 1600, as this would result in horrendously grainy images.

Fast forward to 21:15, and Nadal was serving for his first Wimbledon title – or would Federer stop him? I reduced my shutter speed to 1/320 sec at f/2.8 on a 70–200mm lens, to try to capture any action I could, but I was at least three stops underexposed.

For a photographer, match point is always a moment to savour: adrenaline pours through your body as you prepare to capture an instant of glory. As Nadal prepared to serve for the match, the scoreboard clock hit 21:16, and the umpire told the fans to stop taking pictures, as flashbulbs were going off everywhere. 

Nadal served. Four shots later, he had won. He lay sprawled on his back in a cruciform pose. Flashes lit up the night sky.

I had let my motor drive run as Nadal was falling to the floor, hoping for the best (I didn’t have a flashgun on court). As I looked through those seconds on the back of my camera, my heart sank: one grainy, almost black picture after another. Then, bingo: a perfectly exposed frame. My camera had caught a flash from another photographer on the other side of the court, lighting Nadal like a studio lamp, lifting the exposure and cutting through the grain. I couldn’t believe my luck. I hadn’t won Wimbledon, but it was the next best thing. 

Never give up. You just don’t know when the camera gods will give you that perfect picture. 

Thank you, Rafa, and thank you, Roger, for one of the most extraordinary sporting finals ever played.” – Hugo Philpott