The 2008 Wimbledon Championships are described below in detail, in the form of day-by-day summaries.
Day 1 The first day of the competition saw World No. 1 and five-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer breeze by his opponent to reach the second round, alongside Marcos Baghdatis, Fernando González, Feliciano López, Andreas Seppi, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Fernando Verdasco and David Ferrer. 2007 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Tomáš Berdych was pushed in a five-setter by ATP No. 78 Evgeny Korolev, but eventually prevailed on the final score of 4–6, 6–1, 6–4, 3–6, 7–5, after three hours of play, while former World No. 1 and 2002 Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt survived a close, three-hours-and-a-half-long five-setter against Robin Haase, winning 6–7(4), 6–3, 6–3, 6–7(1), 6–2. Recent French Open semifinalist Gaël Monfils was forced to withdraw before his first match due to a shoulder injury contracted during his Nottingham Open semifinal against Ivo Karlović. Karlović was himself upset later in the day by qualifier Simon Stadler, while thirty-second seed Michaël Llodra retired against Mario Ančić due to a left arm injury. Canadian wild card Frank Dancevic produced the biggest upset of the day knocking out former finalist David Nalbandian in straight sets, and in a mere ninety-six minutes.
In the women's singles, French Open champion and new World No. 1 Ana Ivanovic easily defeated her first round adversary, and was followed in the second round by Nicole Vaidišová, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Agnieszka Radwańska, Ágnes Szávay, Alona Bondarenko, Amélie Mauresmo and 2007 Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli, as well as two-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams, who was tested against Roland-Garros quarterfinalist Kaia Kanepi, before winning the match on the score of 7–5, 6–3, and sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze, who won her first round encounter 2–6, 6–1, 8–6, saving all four match points her opponent Stéphanie Dubois held against her. Many women seeds fell on the first day, such as Virginie Razzano, who lost to Evgeniya Rodina despite winning the first set with a bagel; Dominika Cibulková, who fell to Zheng Jie; Alizé Cornet, who was defeated by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova; Maria Kirilenko, who lost to Vera Dushevina; and Patty Schnyder, who was upset by Casey Dellacqua. Seeded players out: Gaël Monfils (withdrawal), Ivo Karlović, Michaël Llodra (retirement), David Nalbandian; Dominika Cibulková, Virginie Razzano, Alizé Cornet, Maria Kirilenko, Patty Schnyder.
The men's doubles competition saw no seeds advancing but Australian Open runners-up and Wimbledon defending champions Arnaud Clément & Michaël Llodra were forced to withdraw before their first match, because of Llodra's left arm injury, which had already caused his retirement in the singles earlier in the day.
In the women's doubles competition, French Open mixed doubles champion Victoria Azarenka & partner Shahar Pe'er proceeded to the next round. Seeded players out: Michaël Llodra / Arnaud Clément (withdrawal).
(Pictures from Day 1)
Day 2 In the men's singles, Queen's Club champion, 2006 and 2007 Wimbledon runner-up Rafael Nadal scored his first win, securing a second round spot along with Jarkko Nieminen, Nicolas Kiefer, Tommy Robredo, Richard Gasquet, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Radek Štěpánek, Gilles Simon, Nicolás Almagro, Mikhail Youzhny, James Blake, two-time finalist Andy Roddick, and twelfth seed Andy Murray, who overcame 'The Magician' Fabrice Santoro 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(5), in little more than two hours, while twenty-fifth seed Dmitry Tursunov battled during nearly four hours before claiming a 6–4, 6–7(8), 7–6(7), 3–6, 7–5 win over 2007 Queen's Club finalist Nicolas Mahut. ATP No. 116 Benjamin Becker provided the biggest upset of the tournament thus far with a 6–4, 6–4, 6–4 win over fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko, whose first round exit was the fifth in seven Wimbledon appearances, and Croatian Ivan Ljubičić was upset in a close five-setter by 72nd-ranked, Austrian Jürgen Melzer, on the final score of 6–4, 7–6(7), 4–6, 2–6, 6–3.
On the women's side, defending champion Venus Williams proceeded to the next round past British hope Naomi Cavaday, alongside Flavia Pennetta, Caroline Wozniacki, Sania Mirza, Sybille Bammer, Maria Sharapova, Francesca Schiavone, Victoria Azarenka, Vera Zvonareva, Nadia Petrova, Shahar Pe'er, Daniela Hantuchová, Jelena Janković, Roland-Garros runner-up Dinara Safina and 1999 Wimbledon champion Lindsay Davenport, in her first appearance since 2005. Twenty-third seed Katarina Srebotnik was knocked out of the tournament at the end of an almost-four-hours-long thriller, in which she held four match points, before her opponent, WTA No. 102 Julia Görges eventually won on the score of 4–6, 7–6(8), 16–14. Seeded players out: Nikolay Davydenko, Ivan Ljubičić; Katarina Srebotnik.
In the men's doubles, South Africans Jeff Coetzee & Wesley Moodie won their first round match, as well as Australian Open champions Jonathan Erlich & Andy Ram, who completed their encounter after it was stopped by bad light on Day 1, on the final score of 5–7, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 11–9, and Lukáš Dlouhý & Leander Paes, who after five sets of play eventually claimed a 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3 victory. Polish tenth seeds Mariusz Fyrstenberg & Marcin Matkowski were upset in straight sets by Rohan Bopanna & Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi.
In the women's draw, eleventh-seeded 2000 and 2002 Wimbledon doubles champions Serena Williams & Venus Williams advanced past their first round adversaries in less than an hour. Seeded players out: Mariusz Fyrstenberg / Marcin Matkowski.
(Pictures from Day 2)
Day 3 World No. 1 and defending champion Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Lleyton Hewitt, Feliciano López, Marcos Baghdatis, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Tomáš Berdych advanced to the next round of the men's top half of the draw, alongside twenty-ninth seed Andreas Seppi, who overcame Frenchman Florent Serra at the end of a close five-setter, on the final score of 6–3, 6–7(4), 6–2, 6–7(5), 6–4. The shock of the day came as former World No. 1, 2000 US Open and 2005 Australian Open champion, and now 75th-ranked Marat Safin took out ATP No. 3, 2007 Wimbledon semifinalist and reigning Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets, winning 6–4, 7–6(3), 6–2, after two hours of play. Twenty-first seed Juan Carlos Ferrero also left the tournament, retiring due to a neck injury in the third set of his second round against Halle doubles champion Mischa Zverev, and fifteenth seed and French Open quarterfinalist Fernando González lost a close encounter to Italian Simone Bolelli, on the score of 7–6(8), 7–6(7), 3–6, 7–6(4).
In the women's singles, Elena Dementieva won her first round, and Nicole Vaidišová, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Serena Williams, Ágnes Szávay, Anna Chakvetadze, Amélie Mauresmo, Agnieszka Radwańska and 2007 Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli won their second round matches. New World No. 1 and French Open winner Ana Ivanovic was pushed to the limit, as she saved two match points in the three-hours-and-twenty-minutes thriller that opposed her to WTA No. 97 Nathalie Dechy, and of which she came out the victor on the score of 6–7(2) 7–6(3), 10–8. Twenty-eighth seed and Australian Open doubles champion Alona Bondarenko retired against qualifier Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová due to a right leg injury, and twentieth seed Francesca Schiavone lost in three sets to Anabel Medina Garrigues, despite holding three consecutive match points in the deciding set. Seeded players out: Novak Djokovic, Juan Carlos Ferrero (retirement), Fernando González; Alona Bondarenko (retirement), Francesca Schiavone
In the men's doubles, World No. 1 team Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan proceeded to the second round, along with Brazilian pair Marcelo Melo & André Sá, who won their first round encounter in five sets 6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–1, Jonas Björkman & Kevin Ullyett, František Čermák & Jordan Kerr and Julien Benneteau & Nicolas Mahut. 2007 US Open champions and fifth seeds Simon Aspelin & Julian Knowle were upset in four sets by Kevin Anderson & Robert Lindstedt.
World No. 1 team and defending champions Cara Black & Liezel Huber, Iveta Benešová & Janette Husárová, Květa Peschke & Rennae Stubbs, Ai Sugiyama & Katarina Srebotnik, Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur, Yan Zi & Zheng Jie and Dinara Safina & Ágnes Szávay were among the teams advancing past the first round of the women's doubles event. Meanwhile, eighth seeds Peng Shuai & Sun Tiantian were upset in three sets by Catalina Castaño & Kaia Kanepi, fourth seeds Chan Yung-jan & Chuang Chia-jung fell to Akgul Amanmuradova & Darya Kustova, and in the last match of the day, fourteenth seeds Alicia Molik & Mara Santangelo lost in three sets to Tatiana Perebiynis & Alicja Rosolska. Seeded players out: Simon Aspelin / Julian Knowle; Peng Shuai / Sun Tiantian, Chan Yung-jan / Chuang Chia-jung, Alicia Molik / Mara Santangelo.
(Pictures from Day 3)
Day 4 Among the seeds advancing to the third round in the bottom half of the men's draw were Nicolas Kiefer, Andy Murray, Richard Gasquet, Dmitry Tursunov, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Gilles Simon, Mikhail Youzhny, who prevailed at the end of a three-hours-and-a-half-long five-setter against ATP No. 201, qualifier Stefano Galvani, on the score of 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, and Radek Štěpánek, who came back from being down two-sets-to-love to defeat Serbian Viktor Troicki 6–7(1), 6–7(3), 6–3, 6–1, 6–2. Second seed, four-time French Open champion, two-time Wimbledon finalist Rafael Nadal had to battle during three hours against Roland-Garros quarterfinalist Ernests Gulbis, before claiming a 5–7, 6–2, 7–6(2), 6–3 victory, and also proceed to the next round. Meanwhile, twenty-third seed Tommy Robredo fell in straight sets to Tommy Haas, twenty-fourth seed Jarkko Nieminen lost in a close match to Marin Čilić on the score of 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 6–7(6), 7–5, French Open quarterfinalist Nicolás Almagro was upset 6–3, 3–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2 by Guillermo García López, and 2003 Australian Open runner-up, and now 94th-ranked Rainer Schüttler eliminated ninth seed James Blake after a five-set-marathon, 6–3, 6–7(8), 4–6, 6–4, 6–4. Sixth seed Andy Roddick fell before the third round for the first time in eight appearances, as the two-time Wimbledon finalist was knocked out of the tournament by ATP No. 40 Janko Tipsarević, 6–7(5), 7–5, 6–4, 7–6(4).
In the women's singles, defending champion Venus Williams advanced to the third round, alongside Caroline Wozniacki, Dinara Safina, Shahar Pe'er, Jelena Janković, Victoria Azarenka, Elena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova. Thirty-second seed Sania Mirza was taken to three sets by WTA No. 101 María José Martínez Sánchez, and eventually lost 6–0, 4–6, 9–7, while thirteenth seed Vera Zvonareva fell to recent 's-Hertogenbosch winner Tamarine Tanasugarn, Austrian Sybille Bammer lost in three sets to Peng Shuai, tenth seed Daniela Hantuchová was upset by Alisa Kleybanova, and twenty-second seed Flavia Pennetta was knocked out by Ai Sugiyama. 1999 Wimbledon champion Lindsay Davenport decided to withdraw from the tournament before her match against Gisela Dulko, due to a knee injury. WTA No. 159, Russian Alla Kudryavtseva produced the biggest upset of the women's field thus far, as she upset compatriot, former World No. 1, 2004 Wimbledon winner, reigning Australian Open champion, and third seed Maria Sharapova in straight sets, on the score of 6–2, 6–4. Seeded players out: Tommy Robredo, James Blake, Jarkko Nieminen, Andy Roddick, Nicolás Almagro; Lindsay Davenport (withdrawal), Sania Mirza, Vera Zvonareva, Maria Sharapova, Sybille Bammer, Daniela Hantuchová, Flavia Pennetta.