London Tennis

Marathon matches at Wimbledon

Marathon man, John Isner will permanently have his name etched into Wimbledon for years to come. The ‘Isner Law’ which will come into fruition from next year, means tie-breaks will be played at 12-12 in the final set, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has announced. The last few years have seen a wealth of Tennis matches going the distance, so let us rewind and have a look at some memorable Wimbledon games that went the distance.

John Isner vs Nicolas Mahut 2010
6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68
Match Length: 11hr 5min

Isner vs Mahut

‘The endless match’ will be remembered for an eternity. Played over three days, this 1st round epic is the longest tennis match not just at Wimbledon, but Tennis history and will likely never be beaten. John Isner and Nicolas Mahut slogged it out for a mammoth 11 hours, the fifth set alone was 8 hours! Isner eventually left court 18 the winner serving his 113th ace of the match, yep, you guessed it, also a record.

Kevin Anderson vs John Isner 2018
7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 26-24
Match Length: 6hr 36min

Anderson 26-24

The 2018 Men’s semi-final was yet another epic. It involved marathon man Isner yet again, but this time he faced 6ft’8 South African Kevin Anderson. The third-longest match in tennis history ignited the need for an end to five-set epics. It seemed too much for Anderson as he would eventually succumb to Djokovic in the final in straight sets in no more than three hours.

Mark Knowles & Daniel Nestor vs Simon Aspelin & Todd Perry 2006
5-7, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 23-21
Match Length: 6hr 09min

Knowles & Nestor

Knowles and Nestor, who saved six match points, won their mammoth quarter-final against Simon Aspelin and Todd Perry 5-7, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 23-21 after 6hr 9min. They even had enough energy left to bump chests at the end. The match played over two days due to the fading light was a real clash of titans occasion.

Chanda Rubin vs Patricia Hy-Boulais 1995
7-6, 6-7, 17-15
Match Length: 3hr 45min

Chanda_Rubi

The longest Women’s singles match at Wimbledon took almost four hours! These two heroines battled it out in 58 games. Chanda Rubin has form when it comes to memorable battles. During the French Open a few months before she won 7–6, 4–6, 8–6 after falling behind 0–5, 0-40 in the third set she would go on and save nine match points! What a warrior.

Have you been inspired by some of these Wimbledon epics? Find and book your nearest tennis court using Playfinder today.

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