Longest Tennis Match Ever: Isner-Mahut at Wimbledon 2010

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LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 21: John Isner of the United States in action during first round match against Nicolas Mahut of France on Day Two of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 21, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

John Isner and Nicolas Mahut competed at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. Their match would become the longest tennis match in history.

Neither John Isner nor Nicolas Mahut expected to be involved in the longest tennis match in history when they kicked off their 2010 Wimbledon Championships runs. Meeting in the first round of play at the grand slam, Isner met qualifier Mahut. The American Isner entered the action as the tournament’s number 23 seed on the men’s singles side.

Their match began at 6:13 pm on Tuesday, 22 June 2010. It took place on Court 18 at Wimbledon but would need to be suspended due to the light just after 9:00 pm. The two were gearing up for action in the fifth set when play was suspended. Kicking off the match on Wednesday, they easily broke the record for the previous longest tennis match ever. At just 5:45 pm that Wednesday, they cruised past the prior record and would not stop there.

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John Isner and Nicolas Mahut met during their opening round match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. The American was the number 23 seed and Mahut was a qualifier. They would battle during what would become, by far, the longest tennis match in history.

On day two of their meeting, light began to fate yet again. Finally, shortly at 9:00 pm, the match was once again suspended due to fading light. The two tennis stars would need a third day to complete their first match at the Wimbledon Championships. Onto the Thursday action, play would resume at 3:40 pm with the final set tied at 59 games a piece.

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