Just like the ongoing debate over the greatest player in tennis history, there’s never a clear answer to what the best match ever played was.
This year’s Roland Garros final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz certainly made a strong case, with the two of them putting on a five-set show in Paris.
Many still consider Novak Djokovic’s win over Rafael Nadal at the 2012 Australian Open final to be the standout. At five hours and 53 minutes, it remains the longest Grand Slam final ever played.
Then there’s Venus Williams’ 4-6, 7-6, 9-7 win over Lindsay Davenport in the 2005 Wimbledon title match, where she staged an incredible comeback for one of her seven majors.
But according to Nick Kyrgios, there is another match that stands out above all others.
Nick Kyrgios picks his favourite Grand Slam final
Photo by COREY SIPKIN/AFP via Getty Images
Speaking to TNT Sports, Kyrgios was asked to name his pick for the greatest tennis match ever played. “I like [Roger] Federer [Rafael] Nadal at Wimbledon in 2008 when Nadal won his first one; that was incredible.”
The 2008 Wimbledon final is a popular choice and with good reason.
Federer was near untouchable on grass during that period. He’d won five straight titles at the All England Club and hadn’t lost on the surface since 2003, racking up a 65-match winning streak.
Nadal finally snapped that streak, edging out Federer in an epic five-set battle that went four hours and 48 minutes, wrapping up just before nightfall.
That win gave Nadal the first of his two Wimbledon titles, with his second coming in 2010. It also marked the end of a stretch where Nadal had owned Roland Garros and Federer had dominated Wimbledon.
Interestingly enough, by the following year, both players would add the missing piece to their Grand Slam collections. Nadal captured his first Australian Open title in early 2009, and Federer claimed his only French Open crown later that same year.
Nick Kyrgios reveals who he believes is the greatest player of all time
When it came to naming the greatest player ever, Kyrgios didn’t choose either finalist from that classic 2008 match.
The 30-year-old named Novak Djokovic, a player he knows well from their meeting in the 2022 Wimbledon final.
Kyrgios won the opening set of that match but couldn’t hold on, eventually falling to Djokovic in four sets.
For his pick on the women’s side, Kyrgios went with Serena Williams, who won 23 Grand Slam singles titles during her career.