No. 2: Federer’s four-hour comeback comes up one break point short in 2008 Wimbledon final

WATCH: Novak Djokovic sits at the Tennis Channel desk after his record-setting 23rd Grand Slam title.

Is the Big 3’s Grand Slam title race finally over? It appears so. Now that we (probably) know the winner, we’re looking back at the times when this two-decade marathon might have gone a different way.

For more on GOAT Race, a 10-part series leading up to Wimbledon, read Part I.

2. 2008 Wimbledon final: Federer’s four-hour comeback comes up one break point short

“The man who had championship points, two of them in the fourth set, is trying to hang in now,” the lead BBC commentator said as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer reached the middle of the fifth set of their legendary Wimbledon final on July 6, 2008.

“The man” struggling to survive at that moment was the eventual winner, Nadal. The comment was apt, as the 22-year-old Spaniard was facing odds of victory that were growing longer by the minute.

Nadal was trying to win his first Wimbledon, on an unfavorable surface, against the five-time defending champion. He was trying to shake off the memory of those two match points, and the two-set lead that he had slowly, agonizingly squandered. Rafa was also trying to ignore the fact that this match was turning into a replay of the 2007 final, when he lost a five-setter to Federer that left him “utterly destroyed.”

Looking back at that moment, with Nadal serving down 3-4 in the fifth, it’s possible to imagine a different history of men’s tennis playing out over the next 15 years. One where Federer storms to a comeback victory that leaves Nadal shellshocked, and gives Federer the psychological edge in their rivalry, at least away from clay. That future was one point from possibly turning into reality.

By the middle of the fifth, Federer had been mounting a comeback for four hours, and Nadal’s early dominance was a distant memory. In his service hold at 3-3, Federer passed Nadal in total points won for the first time, 174 to 172. His backhand, long a weakness against Nadal’s lefty forehand, was holding its own. He won the opening point at 3-4 with a forcing crosscourt backhand, and did the same to make it 30-30. On the next point, Federer stepped forward and uncorked a forehand winner that elicited a roar from the (mostly) pro-Federer Centre Court audience.

“You will not see a forehand struck better than this, ever,” the BBC’s play-by-play man said, accurately.

Federer had reached break point. One more and he would serve for the title at 5-3. The stage was set for an epic win that would leave the crowd delirious.

Except that Nadal had one trick left: Faced with pressure, he has a knack for responding with decisive aggression. That knack didn’t fail him here. On break point, Federer hit a solid return up the middle. Nadal took that return and sent a curling, diving forehand into the far corner, with pace. It was a difficult shot, but it caught Federer by surprise. All he could do was throw his racquet out, and throw up a short lob, which Nadal slammed away. He skipped back to the baseline with a fist-pump, and held for 4-4.

Half an hour later, Nadal lay flat on his back, the new Wimbledon champion. He had won his fourth major title, and first on a surface other than clay. He had kept Federer from winning his 12th. Maybe most important, Nadal knew now that he could win anywhere, against anyone, and against any odds.