Some nine years ago at the Wimbledon Grand Slam, John Isner and Nicholas Mahut featured in the longest ever tennis match played till date.
Interestingly, the match had gone on for three days and was completed in 11 hours and 5 minutes. It was Isner who held on to his nerves and emerged victorious in the final set which read 70-68.
It is to be noted here that barring the US open, neither of the three Grand Slams have a tiebreaker in the final set and the match keeps on going until one of the two players takes a two-game lead in the final set.
Let us have a look at three of the longest tennis matches in Grand Slams.
3. French Open 2004, 1st Round: Fabrice Santoro vs Arnaud Clément – 6 hours 33 minutes
In the first round of the French Open in 2004, Fabrice Santoro was up against Arnaud Clement.
Both the Frenchmen produced one of the most exciting tennis matches of all time.
Eventually, it was Santoro who emerged as the winner as the match lasted over six hours and thirty minutes.
Result: Fabrice Santoro defeated Arnaud Clement 6–4, 6–3, 6–7(5–7), 3–6, 16–14
2. Wimbledon 2018, Semifinal: Kevin Anderson vs John Isner – 6 hours 35 minutes
John Isner and Kevin Anderson featured in the longest ever semi-final in grand slam history. Eventually, it was Anderson who emerged as the winner of the match.
Interestingly, the deciding set did not see a service break from either of the players until the 50th game with Anderson going on to break Isner’s serve.
Result: Kevin Anderson defeated John Isner 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 26-24
1. Wimbledon 2010, 1st Round: John Isner vs Nicolas Mahut- 11 hours 5 minutes
Before taking on Anderson in 2018, John was part of a marathon tennis match in 2010 which till date is not only the longest match in a Grand Slam but the longest in the history of the sport.
The match spanned over three days. It was played for over 11 hours and eventually Isner came out on top.
Their photograph with the scoreboard after the match was concluded as one of the iconic images from the Tennis arena.
This record may just remain intact for some time.
Result: John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(7–9), 7–6(7–3), 70–68