The year was 2010, and the Wimbledon Championships were underway. On Court No. 18, a first-round match between American John Isner and French qualifier Nicolas Mahut was about to unfold, but neither player could have imagined the epic battle that lay ahead.
The match began on Tuesday, June 22nd, and what started as a closely contested affair quickly turned into a marathon of epic proportions. Isner, seeded 23rd, battled back from two sets down to force a decider, but as the match stretched beyond three hours, low visibility forced the chair umpire to suspend play before the fifth set could begin.
The following day, the players resumed their battle, and the fifth set became a spectacle of intense endurance. Isner held a 33-32 lead, with two match points in sight, but Mahut refused to yield. He fought back to level the score at 33-33, and the crowd, captivated by the drama, roared with anticipation.
The electronic scoreboard, overwhelmed by the sheer number of games, stopped working after 99 games. Mahut, serving, won the 100th game, and the score was tied at 50-50. The match, at this point, had already surpassed the previous record for the longest tennis match, set by Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clément in the 2004 French Open.
The tension continued to build as Mahut won the 118th game, bringing the score to 59-59, but darkness forced a second suspension. On the third day, the match finally reached its conclusion. In the 138th game, Isner broke Mahut’s serve and secured a historic victory, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-3), 70-68.
The fifth set alone stretched over eight hours, with the entire match lasting an astounding 11 hours and 5 minutes. The match became a defining moment in tennis history, forever etched in the annals of the sport.
The grueling nature of this match led to a rule change in 2018, implementing a deciding set tiebreaker at Wimbledon when the score reached 12-12. Since 2022, all Grand Slams have adopted a 10-point tiebreaker at 6-6 in the final set, aiming to prevent such lengthy matches from occurring again.
The epic clash between Isner and Mahut serves as a testament to the human spirit’s ability to push boundaries and endure the most challenging circumstances. It also highlights the captivating nature of tennis, a sport capable of producing matches that transcend the boundaries of time and leave an indelible mark on the collective memory.
