The longest day(s)

I just read about the match opposing the American John Isner (ATP rank 19) to the French Nicolas Mahut (ATP rank 149) at Wimbledon (). THIS is probably the match of the century: it is the longest match in the world and already lastest 10 hours on two days, Tuesday the 21th and Wednesday the 22th. The previous longest match lasted already for 6 hours 33 minutes in 2004 at Roland Garros between Frenchmen Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clément.

The score is now at 6/4 3/6 6/7 7/6 59/59, yes that’s right! In addition to this extraordinary feat, Isner made 98 aces while Mahut 95, as a result, the previous record of 51 aces by Ivo Karlovic in 2005 at Wimbledon has been shattered. Even the electronic scoreboard could not keep up with it! The game stopped in the fifth set at 59/59, hence a total of 163 games so far (another record), because of the lack of sunlight to the dismay of the audience singing “We want more” who gave them a standing ovation.

The fifth set is by itself already the longest match, and de facto the longest set, in the history of Wimbledon with 7 hours 06 minutes logged in already, without any toilet breaks till 58/58! Whoever wins this game tomorrow will also have to play the next match on the same day and it will leave the winner one of the shortest recovery time for it: a dubious honour. The video, at 58/59, shows the American exhausted, while the Frenchman looks surprisingly sharp.




 This avalanche of statistic is representative of the nerves and the endurance of the players. Watching a match showing a little less than 200 aces is probably not the most fascinating one but the sheer length is definitely what makes it exceptional, both men seem to be giving everything despite the fatigue: this is really a true example of courage and tenacity. Having read many comments about this match, the question of tweaking the fifth set at Wimbledon and in other Opens (such as Roland Garros and the Australian Open) might be pushed on after such a display. Indeed, unlike the four first sets, the fifth set cannot be ended with a tiebreaker. Players have to go through 15-30-40-point sequence for every point and they need a two points lead which can be a recipe for a very very long match as exposed in this article.  The US opens do not benefit from this rule and guarantee an end with no loophole. I, for one, believe that the Wimbledon fifth set makes for a great display of tenacity, spectacle and endurance.

I personally wish that somehow, Isner and Mahut would play for over and over; even if I know that this will get boring in the end. This match is inspiring and is a breath of fresh air in this moment dominated by the World Cup ( fair enough, France's elimination does not help). Just for the sake of it and perhaps because it will be heartbreaking for the loser..

-C

Comments from the players on the BBC after the second day:

 Mahut
“We're fighting like we have never done before. We'll come back tomorrow and see who is going to win this match. Everyone wants to see the end."

Isner
"He's serving fantastic, I'm serving fantastic. Nothing like this will ever happen again."