If you love tennis, you’d definitely want to know all about the longest tennis match ever. Here, we will give you an insight into five remarkable tennis matches that went on for a really long time. They were so long that not only did the players feel tired but also made the audiences wait. At the end, it was all worth it!
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Longest tennis match ever
Around 9 years ago at Wimbledon, Nicolas Mahut and John Isner played the longest recorded tennis match in history. The match lasted for three days with a span of 11 hours and five minutes. John won the match with two more points ahead of Nicolas in the final set.
Apart from the US open, the other Grand Slams don’t have a final set tie-break. The match keeps going till either player has a two-game lead while playing the final set. Isner was also the competitor of the second-longest Grand Slam tennis match. He was against Kevin Anderson for this one and the match lasted more than six hours.
Longest tennis matches that made history
We now know which one was the longest tennis match ever. But it is time to find out all the ones that made a mark. Let us take a look at the longest Grand Slam matches that created and broke records:
1. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
The Australian Open 2012 Final went on for five hours and 53 minutes between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. It was one of the best matches that tennis lovers had seen – definitely accredited to the talent of the players. Novak Djokovic won this match and created history – it was his third win at an Australian Open.
The match had one tie-break that too in the fourth set. Due to the style of how tennis is played, the match still went on for hours and ended past midnight. Both Novak and Rafael were so tired after the match ended that they were quickly given seats to rest. Nadal was taking a break during the final set but his winner clawed the way back to scoring a 4-4. He finally broke the opponent at 5-5 and won the match by winning 7-5 at the final set.
2. Simon Aspelin and Todd Perry against Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor
Wimbledon 2006 witnessed the longest doubles in the history of Grand Slam. Mark and Daniel overpowered on their counter against Todd and Simon. The match lasted for 6 hours and 9 minutes and took two days not one.
Nestor and Knowles were two sets to one down, but they jumped back onto the match and won the fourth set at 6-3. The last set went onto work right till the end.
3. Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clément
The two players were seen to sweat out for six hours and 33 minutes at French Open 2004. It was the first round of the all-French encounter and both the players refused to give up. The Frenchmen experienced a vociferous crowd around and it was one of the most thrilling and longest tennis match ever. Santoro won the game and created history.
4. Kevin Anderson and John Isner
The semi-final of Wimbledon 2018 went on for six hours and 35 minutes. John and Kevin played out one of the longest tennis match in the history of Grand Slam and experienced the most enthralling encounter.
Isner has given tough encounters to many players, the reason why you’d find his name here over and over again. The players didn’t break each other’s serve for the first two sets. But the third one saw a break and made Isner the winner by the third. Anderson fought back at the fourth set. Finally, the fifth set didn’t have any break of serve till Anderson broke Inser’s serve.
5. Nicolas Mahut and John Isner
Yes, we’re talking about the longest match in the history of tennis. It was the one that lasted for 11 hours and five minutes. This match happened in 2010 and no one has broken this record as yet. For the first time ever, the history of tennis recorded a match to last for three days and 11 hours. Isner won this match and the players clicked photographs with their respective scoreboards.
Isner held his nerve till the end and broke Mahut’s serve to win the match, while the second round of matches had started already. It is really tough to expect players to break this record.
Facts about John Isner
Let us find out a little more about the most deserving player in terms of long matches in tennis:
- John started playing the game at the age of nine
- His father’s name is Robert Isner, Mother is Karen Isner, and has two brothers Nathan and Jordan
- John not only like tennis but also played basketball till he was 14 years old
- The player was 90m tall by the age of 14 and grew by 5 inches by 16
- John has been setting records from a young age. He has a record of 4-year All-American at the University of Georgia from 2004 to 2007. He got into NCAA singles final and won doubles with team titles in 2007.
- John was voted as ATP Most Improved Player of the Year in 2009
- He was a member of the ATP Player Council between 2014 to 2017
- Apart from tennis and basketball, he likes to play golf, fishing, and poker
- John likes Carolina Panthers and the football teams of University of Georgia
- The player raised funds for UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, as his mom was successfully cured of colon cancer – not once but twice
- He collaborated with the Nulo Pet Food from 2016 on their Aces for Animals charity campaign.
- John married his wife Madison on December 2, 2017, and they have a daughter named Hunter who was born on September 15, 2018.
- Chris May is his fitness trainer while Clint Cordial his chiropractor
- John had broken his left foot and was out of playing for three months in 2019.
Final thoughts
John Isner is definitely one of the main contributors who the longest tennis match in the world. But there are many more who have withstood such challenges and created history.
