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          Wimbledon 2018: ICYMI highlights and best bits from an unforgettable two weeks

          • D'Arcy Maine, ESPN.com
          Jul 15, 2018, 07:00 PM

          Best Match

          There were some incredible matches throughout the fortnight, but Rafael Nadal's epic five-set win over Juan Martin del Potro, 7-5, 6-7 (7), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, in the quarterfinals might have a spot amongst Wimbledon's best ever.

          Stretching over four hours and 47 minutes -- the second longest match of the tournament after Kevin Anderson and John Isner's epic six hour 35 minute semifinal -- the two battled for every point, racing across the court, and sometimes diving into in the stands. It was a sight to behold.

          The two left everything they had, and then some, on the court, and it provided entertainment fans in the crowd, and those watching at home, will not soon forget. After Nadal won match point, he climbed over the net to give Del Potro a hug in a remarkable display of sportsmanship and respect between both athletes. Even a disappointed Del Potro admitted it was an incredible contest later that night.

          "I enjoyed a lot of the match of today," he said after. "The crowd was amazing. They were excited to keep watching tennis between Rafa and me. We played great points. We run a lot. I think we had a good, good game."

          World No. 1 Simona Halep, who has played in her fair share of great matches, might have summed it up best:

          Biggest "Not so fast!" Moment

          After winning his Round 4 match in straight sets over Adrian Mannarino, it seemed -- briefly -- inevitable that Roger Federer would cruise to yet another Wimbledon final, and win his ninth trophy at the All England Club.

          However, sometimes things don't go to plan, and the underdogs can ultimately emerge victorious. And if you don't believe us, just ask Federer himself or the England's World Cup squad. But, before anyone knew that Federer's run would come to an end in the quarterfinals against Kevin Anderson, and England's hopes of bringing it home would come to an end against Croatia, one reporter asked Federer about potentially being in the Wimbledon final at the same time England would be playing for the World Cup title. His answer, while now completely ludicrous, was delightful at the time, and it almost feels like a parallel universe is being discussed in hindsight.

          Question: Not to get ahead of ourselves, but on the final there's a potential clash with the World Cup final. Obviously, England potentially could get through the semifinal and be playing at the same time as perhaps yourself on Sunday. Would you be concerned about the fact people can watch simultaneously the World Cup match, be reacting to that, while in Centre Court? Would it detract from the atmosphere?"

          Federer: "Well, it's going to happen anyway, if I'm going in the final or not, the Wimbledon final will take place, and so will the World Cup final. I'm more concerned the World Cup final will have issues because the Wimbledon final is going on. They'll hear every point, Wow, Love-15, 15-30. The players are going to look up in the crowd and not understand what's going on at Wimbledon. That's how important Wimbledon is to me and to us over here. Maybe you should ask the questions over in Russia, how they're going to feel about Wimbledon being played at the same time."

          Best comeback

          Sure, Serena Williams lost the first set in her quarterfinal clash with Camila Giorgi, and Kevin Anderson staved off match point in the third set to topple Roger Federer, but we have to give this one to Jamie Murray and Victoria Azarenka.

          The pair, playing mixed doubles together for the first time, looked to be in serious trouble in the third set of their Round 2 clash against Robert Farah and Anna-Lena Gronefeld on Centre Court. Trailing 5-1, it looked as if the partnership would be short lived. But they then proved why they are both Grand Slam champions and turned it on when it mattered most. They won the next six games in thrilling fashion to advance to the third round.

          The victory even promoted Judy Murray to create a nickname for the duo, in case you need further proof why this was one heck of a comeback.

          Biggest "Oh s---" moment

          After a stunning first week which saw nine of the top 10 women's seeds get sent home packing, No. 7 seed Karolina Pliskova was the only one remaining heading into 'Manic Monday.' However she was unable to carry the mantle for her fellow top seeds, and she was upset in the fourth round by Kiki Bertens.

          It marked the first time in the Open era (since 1968) where no top-10 seeds would play in the quarterfinals, and questions were abound as to why. However, Pliskova had little interest in trying to make sense of it -- as one reporter learned the hard way after her match.

          Best fan

          Yes, Meghan Markle came out to support during Saturday's final, and anyone who waited in the queue deserves all the accolades, but one fan really stood out over the fortnight.

          And stood out he did.

          Dressing up as the men's trophy -- in all its gold and shiny glory -- he memorably made his way around the grounds Monday. He even stopped to do an interview with ESPN's Tom Hamilton, and somehow was upstaged by a man whose name was actually featured on his jacket.

          Best rally

          In a quarterfinal match that felt much closer than the 6-3, 7-5 score indicated, Angelique Kerber and Daria Kasatkina had some amazing rallies where it felt like neither player was capable of missing. In the second set, with Kerber serving for the match and the game at deuce, they went back-and-forth in this amazing 25-shot rally that truly needs to be seen to be believed.