What Rafael Nadal said that shocked Toni Nadal during the rain delay before winning the 2008 Wimbledon final vs Roger Federer

Not to mention that, in reaching the final the world number one faced the world number two effectively for a spot at the top of the rankings.

Nadal had lost the year earlier to this same opponent, and reportedly was lacking confidence.

However, what he did during one of the rain delays during the final left Toni, his uncle and coach at the time, stunned.

Toni Nadal tells Rafael Nadal story from 2008 Wimbledon final

Speaking to Nude Project, Toni sought to look back on one of Rafael Nadal’s greatest triumphs. He began by offering his feelings in the run-up: ‘Man, I remember the first thing was that it was the worst few hours I’ve ever spent in all my life. The worst on a tennis court for sure, because I remember that we got to a situation where Rafael had easily defeated Federer in the Roland Garros final.

‘A month later we were playing in Wimbledon. Rafael was number two in the world, Federer was number one. We were very close now, we knew this match was changing the story, practically changing the world number one.

‘Then, the year before, Rafael had lost narrowly to Federer. It was another opportunity and then how the match unfolded, it was a high-intensity match.

‘I remember that Rafael was ahead 2-0, I think he won the first two 6-4, 6-4. The third was a little closer, Rafael had his chances to finish the match. In the end, he lost the third set. There were several interruptions, rain. We went to the locker room, everything was complicated.’

Then asked what he told his nephew during that break, he continued: ‘It rains a lot at Wimbledon. In one case, during the tension I was under, I fell asleep, which is a curious thing.

‘He had a problem with his foot. He had to get an injection in his foot. At the next interruption, he said to me “Now don’t fall asleep!” He was the first one who said to me.

‘In the last interruption, Rafael had gone from clearly dominating the match. Now, the match had become even. He had several match points, with one shot he could have won the match. It was practically won.

‘The last interruption came at 2-2 in the fifth set. The whole time I was thinking what I would say to my nephew. I thought I would find my nephew depressed in the locker room, thinking about all the missed opportunities.

‘I ran into him and I said “Well let’s see what I can say to him.” And I remember saying to him “Look, Rafael, don’t think about the missed opportunities. Try to make an effort to get to 4-4 and at 4-4 God will decide. It will be a matter of luck. Let’s see if we have it.”

‘But as I’m telling you I thought Rafael would be affected, and Rafael told me when I explained this to him, he raised his head and said “Relax, I’m not going to lose. I’m not going to lose.” And then he changed his mind and said “Maybe Federer will beat me, but I’m not going to lose. And if he does, I will be here again next year in the final.”

Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer record in Grand Slam finals against each other

‘Last year, in the final, he said he might not ever be here again.’

This change in mindset, Toni felt, was down to his upbringing alongside his shift in mentality across the 12 months beforehand: ’Rafael is probably the only player in history who ended his career without ever breaking a racket, because that’s giving in to discouragements. So, he got used to the fact that when things weren’t going well, he put up with it.’

Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer at Wimbledon 2008: the greatest final ever?

This final took 4 hours and 48 minutes of play to find its winner, with the quality of tennis and players leading many to call it the greatest tennis match ever played.

After all, they were the two most dominant players on the planet, having won 14 of the last 16 Grand Slams in the lead-up to Wimbledon.

Not only that, but Roger Federer was enjoying an unprecedented period of success on the legendary grass courts, having won five successive titles, beating Nadal in the final of the last two iterations too.

So much was on the line for both, but Nadal had a slight mental edge given he had once again beaten the Swiss superstar in another Roland Garros final.

It took so much mental toughness to battle through, not to mention the physical turmoil felt due to his foot injury. Having sacrificed everything, it makes sense that Toni Nadal’s reaction to Carlos Alcaraz’s Netflix documentary would be a harsh one.

At the time, it was the longest singles final in Wimbledon history. A fitting finale that allowed two titans of the sport to light up Centre Court, and one that Toni and Rafael have every right to be proud of.