Rafael Nadal gives most important matches of his career with neither taking place at Roland Garros

Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal has disclosed the two most important matches in his career thus far, with one of them being not quite as obvious as the other.

The former World No.1 has been involved in a number of historic matches during his lengthy and illustrious career on the ATP tour. Regarding the matches he felt were the most important, he picked his iconic 2008 Wimbledon final triumph over Roger Federer, and surprisingly his painful loss to Novak Djokovic in the grueling 2012 Australian Open final.

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Roland Garros still the most important tournament of his career, admits Nadal

In an interview with La Sexta’s El Objetivo, the 22-time Grand Slam champion spoke on a diversity of topics, during which he highlighted which matches stood out from the rest during his stellar career.

“Roland Garros is undoubtedly the most important tournament of my career," said the 37-year old. "Concerning the special matches, it’s true that I have never experienced a five-set final in Paris. So I would say the 2008 Wimbledon final won against Roger Federer and the 2012 Australian Open final lost against Novak Djokovic. I lost, but I took a step forward in my career that day.”

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At the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, Nadal battled past his long-time rival, Federer, 6-4 6-4 6-7(5-7) 6-7(8-10) 9-7 in a thrilling final to claim his first title at the All England Club. The encounter is regarded by many as one of the greatest matches in tennis history and it saw Nadal win his fifth Grand Slam title and first outside the French Open.

In the final of the 2012 Australian Open, Nadal suffered an emotional 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7(5-7) 7-5 by his other rival, Djokovic, in a spectacular yet brutal encounter. At an incredible five hours and 53 minutes, the marathon final is the longest match in Australian Open history and the longest major singles final ever.