John Isner beats Nicolas Mahut in the longest ever match in Wimbledon history
Trending
American John Isner and his French rival Nicolas Mahut, both known largely for their big serves, were drawn against each other in the first round of Wimbledon 2010. Their match began fairly routinely, with each player taking a 6-3 set, Isner the first and Mahut the second.
With the players now level at one set apiece, they went two whole sets without a single break of service, with Isner winning the third and Mahut the fourth, 7-6 each time.
The players went to a fifth set – one they were forced to play the following day, with their match halted due not to bad light but simply, darkness.
While the US Open follows a tiebreak deciding set method, the other Grand Slams do not – and with the fifth set also seeing no break of serve, it went on for another day (the third) with Isner finally taking the fifth set 70-68, and with it, the match, which went down as the longest in the history of the tournament.
