ON THIS DAY IN... 2010: Isner defeats Mahut in longest match in history at Wimbledon
ATPThursday, 24 June 2021 at 18:30
In the run-up to Wimbledon, On This Day... in takes a look back at a specific moment or match from a tournament which today goes back to 24 June 2010.
This being the conclusion of the heralded tie between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut which is the longest tennis match in history.
It was a first round tie which saw Isner who was World No.19 at the time play Mahut who was down at 148 but this did not make the task easy for teh American.
It began at 6:13pm BST on Tuesday, 22 June and lasted for 11 hours, 5 minutes until this day 11 years ago.
In the end, the scoreline ran 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 70-68. The final set alone took longer than the previous longest match with further records going for aces.
A new rule was implemented introducing a tie-break in the fifth set which means that this will remain the longest match in Wimbledon history barring any tie-break rules.
This will also remain the case for tennis as a whole barring the French Open which still does not have the tiebreaker system in force.
A match that lives long in tennis fans' memories and one that is 11 years old today.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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