Unlike other sports like football and basketball, the game of tennis is not time-bound. In tennis, the aim is to win enough points to win a game and enough games to win a set and enough sets to win a match.
Most tennis matches hover around 2-3 hour mark, while some of them stretch to 4 hours and beyond. One can only imagine the physical and mental stress that players go through in matches that last four hours. In fact, such matches become less about skills and more about the player’s durability.
The marathon tennis matches are truly inspirational, especially for aspiring tennis players and fans of the game. So, at Winissimo, we’ve created an article that provides insight into the longest tennis matches ever played. If you’re someone who’s into tennis betting, then you can easily wager on all the major tennis matches at Winissimo.
John Isner def. Nicolas Mahut, Wimbledon 1st Round, 2010 – 11 hours 5 minutes
10 years ago, Isner brought an end to the longest tennis match in the history of the game. The epic clash has been immortalized in Wimbledon itself and was the perfect combination. Isner, with his large serve and Mahut, with his quick return game, making them the exact opposite of each other.
After lasting two days, everybody was excited to see when the match would end. And after three days’ worth of Grand Slam tennis, Isner won the longest match of all time, 70-68. Even though the scoreboard showed Isner’s name as the winner, it would not be fair to say that Mahut lost since it’s difficult to imagine players playing for such a long period of time.
Result: John Isner def. Nicolas Mahut 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(7–9), 7–6(7–3), 70–68
Wimbledon 2018 Semifinal- Kevin Anderson def. John Isner – 6 hours 35 minutes
In a gruesome battle of tennis at Wimbledon in 2018, Kevin Anderson and John Isner went on to play the longest ever semi-final in Grand Slam history. The enthralling encounter lasted 6 hours and 35 minutes before determining the final winner.
Isner has played a number of large tournaments and this one was just another to add to his kitty.
Both Anderson and Isner did not break each other’s serve in the first two sets of the game. In the third set, they exchanged one break each, with Isner coming out victorious in the tie-break. However, Anderson gave his best in the 4th set and won it.
The 5th set of the game did not see a single break of serve until the 50th game, with Anderson winning the marathon to sail through to the finals of the tournament.
Result: Kevin Anderson def. John Isner 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 26-24
French Open 2004, 1st Round: Fabrice Santoro def. Arnaud Clément – 6 hours 33 minutes
History was made at Roland Garros in 2004 when in an all-French first-round match Fabrice Santoro beat Arnaud Clément. After a riveting encounter that lasted six hours and 33 minutes, Santoro finally ended the contest with a backhand pass and then fell on his back.
This was the longest tennis match at that time. Prior to this, the longest grand slam match was also at Roland Garros in 1998 when Alex Corretja of Spain beat Argentina’s Hernan Gumy in 5 hours 31 minutes.
Result: Fabrice Santoro def. Arnaud Clement 6–4, 6–3, 6–7(5–7), 3–6, 16–14
Wimbledon 2006 – Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor def. Simon Aspelin and Todd Perry – 6 hours 9 minutes
Till date, this is the longest doubles match in Grand Slam history. In a match which lasted over two days, Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor came out on top in an enthralling encounter against Simon Aspelin and Todd Perry.
Knowles and Nestor found themselves two sets to one down at the start. However, they made their way back into the game by winning the fourth set. The final set went on to serve right until the very end.
Result: Daniel Nestor and Mark Knowles def. Simon Aspelin and Todd Perry 5–7, 6-3, 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 23–21 – 6 hours and 9 minutes.
Australian Open 2012 Final, Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal – 5 hours and 53 minutes
Considering the quality of tennis between Novak Djokovic and Rafel Nadal, this encounter is one of the best matches in Grand Slam history.
This match was full of amazing gets and long rallies. Djokovic finished with 57 winners, along with 69 unforced errors. Nadal had winners against 71 unforced errors.
In this end, it was Novak Djokovic who came out as the winner in 5 hours and 53 minutes to win his third Australian Open title.
Surprisingly, there was only one tie break in the entire match – in the fourth set. However, due to the style of tennis of both the players, the match went on for hours.
Rafel Nadal was up a break in the final set of the match, but Djokovic clawed his way back and levelled the score at 4-4. He broke Nadal in 5-5 and then served out the match to win the final set.
Result: Novak Djokovic def. Rafael Nadal 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 7–5.
So, these were the longest tennis matches in Grand Slam history. With Winissimo, you can also enjoy sports betting and wager on a wide variety of sports like football, cricket, hockey, and many more.