Ten hours – and still they play on.
Wimbledon history has been made as John Isner and Nicolas Mahut served up the lengthiest contest of any tennis Grand Slam.
Court 18 upstaged Centre Court as thousands watched in disbelief with the pair holding their serves for 118 games before fading light stopped play with the fifth set locked at 59-59.
After receiving a standing ovation, an exhausted Isner said: “Nothing like this will happen again. Ever.”
The players face a wait to continue their battle on Thursday – with the schedulers putting them third up on the same court.
The action was so long the scoreboard broke down.
With temperatures peaking at 28C (82F), players and fans were left stunned by their endurance.
British No 1 Andy Murray wrote on his Twitter page: “This is why tennis is one of the toughest sports in the world, this will never ever be matched again.”
Roger Federer, the world’s best player, said: “This is absolutely amazing. In a way, I wish I was them, in some ways I wish I wasn’t them. So this is a very special match.”
American Isner, the 23rd seed, and French grass-court specialist Mahut also broke the record for the number of aces served in a match. The titanic battle left the players visibly exhausted and at times struggling to walk.
Share this with