Tennis
Longest Tennis Match Ever: Who Played and Won?
The longest tennis match in history was played at Wimbledon in 2010, lasting a mammoth 11 hours and 5 minutes.
John Isner, France's Nicolas Mahut and Mohamed Lahyani//Getty Images
11 hours and 5 minutes, that is how long it took John Isner to defeat Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon back in 2010. Their first-round match on court no. 18 would become the longest tennis match in history!
Tennis is a sport of endurance, long rallies, heart-stopping sets and marathon matches requiring players to often go to unchartered physical and emotional waters. These athletes are isolated, held in fierce competition and all the while knowing that just one lapse in concentration can result in them coming away with nothing to show for it.
Here is a look at the longest tennis match in history, alongside some of the longest at a Grand Slam.
John Isner v Nicolas Mahut – Wimbledon 2010, Tale of the Tape.
When John Isner and Nicolas Mahut walked out onto court no. 18 in a first round match at Wimbledon, nobody would have expected their match to last all of three days.
Yes, you read that correctly – the match started on the 22nd of June and came to a thrilling end on the 24th of June. The close encounter saw Isner fight back from two sets to one, taking the match to a decider. It should be noted that back then Wimbledon didn’t have a tiebreaker in the fifth set.
Incredibly, the scorecard read 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-3), 70-68. The numbers around court 18 grew considerably, the media coverage was understandably immense and the manner in which Isner dropped to the ground after winning the match perfectly captured the joy, and exhaustion, needed to earn a spot in the second round.
Ironically, Isner would lose his next match to Thiemo de Bakker in 74 minutes – the shortest men’s match in Wimbledon history at the time.
Tennis Marathon’s – Some of The Longest Encounters.
Kevin Anderson v John Isner - Wimbledon
The 2018 semi-final at Wimbledon would be the second-longest Grand Slam match in history. Again, John Isner was involved, however, this time he came off second best to Kevin Anderson.
The South African earned a spot in the final against Novak Djokovic, by beating Isner after 6 hours and 36 minutes on Centre Court. This match had a total of 99 games, with the fifth set alone lasting just shy of 3 hours.
Novak Djokovic v Rafael Nadal – Australian Open
Lasting just 7 minutes shy of 6 hours long, this Australian Open final is widely considered as one of the best matches of the Open Era! Novak Djokovic would ultimately go on to win the match, and at the time claim his fifth Grand Slam title.
Rafa Nadal, even as the ultimate competitor, conceded that he was satisfied with the result. This was after acknowledging what it took out of both players. Famously, both players could not stand for the duration of the post-match presentation and in a slight deviation from tradition, participated in the presentation seated.
Dan Evans v Karen Khachanov – US Open
Just a few months ago, in their first round match at the US Open, Dan Evans needed 5 hours and 35 minutes to defeat Karen Khachanov. Astonishingly, Evans came back from being 0-4 in the deciding set to eventually clinch a spot in the second round and eliminate his Russian counterpart.
This match would not just rank amongst the longest in Grand Slam history, but also as the longest at Flushing Meadows. The previous record between Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang had managed to stand since 1992.
Ryan Liberty is an experienced sports writer whose articles have featured in some of the biggest sports publications in South Africa. With a strong understanding of all major sports and an in-depth understanding of betting, Ryan consistently delivers insightful content. He's also known for his ability to break down complex topics into engaging, reader-friendly pieces.