Rafael Nadal claimed his first Major title at Roland Garros 2005 and became world no. 2 shortly after that. Rafa had continued to work on his game, becoming number one in the world. 1 in 2008. Nadal lifted trophies at Monte Carlo, Barcelona, ​​Hamburg and Roland Garros that year and moved closer to Roger Federer.
Improving his game on grass, Rafa conquered Queen’s and Wimbledon and extended his winning streak to 32 before Novak Djokovic stopped him in the Cincinnati semi-final. Nadal earned enough points to pass Federer on August 18 and become world number one.
1 for the first time. Before that, the Spaniard headed to Beijing as one of the favorites for the men’s singles gold medal. He returned to deliver his best tennis to win another significant title in that historic season. Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic in three challenging sets in the semi-final after more than two hours and faced Fernando Gonzalez in the gold medal clash.
After two hours and 23 minutes, Rafa defeated the Chilean 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 to embrace Olympic glory. Nadal completed the outstanding performance of him in the previous months, winning 38 of 39 matches to become the deserved number one in the world.
1.
In Beijing 2008, Rafael Nadal defeated Fernando González in three sets to win gold.
Nadal served well and repelled all four break points to keep his game intact. He pushed Gonzalez to the limit on the second serve and created ten break chances, converting two to go top in straight sets.
The Chilean did his best to keep the points on his racket and control the pace with flaming forehands. However, it was not enough against an opponent who defended well and avoided unforced errors. Fernando has won both of his previous meetings against Rafa on hard courts, including a notable win at the 2007 Australian Open.
Still, he couldn’t repeat that against a fit opponent who played some of the best tennis of his career. Nadal started the encounter reliably, taking eight of the first ten points and securing a break in game two when Fernando’s slice backhand landed long.
Gonzalez saved a set point in game eight with a fantastic forehand winner before Rafa sealed the deal with a forehand down the line winner in the next for 6-3. Nadal had no problems on serve, absorbing the opponent’s forehands like no one else would and taking the most powerful weapon out of the hands of the Chilean.
Both players got through their service games in the second set and were heading towards the tie break when Nadal faced the first loose service game at 5-6. González hit a forehand winner to take a 40-15 lead, with two set points on the line.
However, the Chilean missed a backhand volley in the first and an easy forehand in the second, which sealed his fate in this match. Rafa closed out the game with a forehand down the line winner to gain momentum before the tie break and secured 7-2 when Fernando sent a forehand long.
Gonzalez fended off two break points in the second game of the third set to stave off an early setback before Nadal broke it at love the next time around to move 3-1 in front with a backhand crosscourt winner. It was a one-person show at the time, and there was nothing Gonzalez could do to break the fall.
He faced two more break points in game six and saved them to reduce the deficit. Suddenly, the Chilean had a chance to recover the break after creating a couple of chances in the next game. Rafa repelled them with winning forehands and serves and closed the match with two more direct points for a 5-2 lead.
Fernando erased three match points in game eight on serve to extend the clash. Nadal crossed the finish line with another solid lead at 5-3, forcing his rival’s mistake to start a massive celebration of one of his most prized titles.