Spain's Rafael Nadal defeated Chile's Fernando González in the final, 6–3, 7–6(7–2), 6–3 to win the gold medal in men's singles at the 2008 Summer Olympics. The win gave him the third of five components of the career Golden Slam, having already won the French Open and Wimbledon. He would go on to win the Australian Open and the US Open to become the second man to complete the career Golden Slam in singles. Following the event, Nadal became the world No. 1 for the first time, ending Roger Federer's record streak of 237 consecutive weeks with the top ranking. González became the first man to win a medal in men's singles across consecutive Olympiads since Charles Winslow in 1920. In the bronze medal match, Serbia's Novak Djokovic defeated the United States' James Blake, 6–3, 7–6(7–4). It was Serbia's first Olympic tennis medal.

Rafael Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player. Nadal has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 209 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam men's singles titles, including a record 14 French Open titles. He has won 92 ATP-level singles titles, including 36 Masters titles and an Olympic gold medal, with 63 of these on clay courts. Nadal is one of only two men to complete the Career Golden Slam in singles. His 81 consecutive wins on clay constitute the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era.