Heartbreaks and smiles: The 5 best Rafael Nadal matches at the Australian Open

4. Rafael Nadal vs Jo Wilfried Tsonga 2008 (Tsonga def Nadal 6-2, 6-3,6-2 in the semi-finals)

Rafael Nadal was stretched to his limit by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga during the 2008 Australian Open semifinal

Since 2004, Rafa had progressed from a clay-court wonder to a serious challenger on hard courts. He was supposed to sail past Tsonga in the semi-finals without any troubles, to grant us the dream final – Rafa vs Roger Federer (Federer eventually lost to Djokovic in the semis). But Tsonga had other ideas. He completely blew Nadal away, outplaying him in every single aspect of the game. Winners blew past Rafa left and right, and the King of Clay was clueless against the power-packed attacking game of the Frenchman. This match remains Tsonga’s best performance in a Grand Slam.