American tennis star John Isner was in such great athletic shape from playing in Florida’s muggy heat and humidity this year that going into Wimbledon his coach joked that he could play for 10 hours. Little did he know Isner would soon be doing just that.

On June 24, 2010, John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut shattered the record for the longest match in tennis history during their first-round play at Wimbledon. The netters smacked balls across the grass court for a stunning 11 hours and five minutes, their game spanning three days of playtime before Isner finally broke his opponent’s serve, winning the marathon match 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68.

After 11 hours of playtime, Isner and Mahut racked up 980 points over a total of 183 games, with Isner pounding out 112 aces and Mahut finishing with 103. Isner took the first-round Wimbledon victory over Mahut when he slammed a match point backhand at 40-30, finally putting a close to the never-ending tiebreaker and collapsing on the court in a combination of utter exhaustion and relief. Patrons with tennis tickets to the Wimbledon match got more than their money’s worth while watching the Isner/Mahut nail biter, and both players deserve some recognition for the hard-fought match.

Speaking with ESPN after the marathon event, Isner had nothing but praises to sing for his opponent. “It stinks someone had to lose,” he said. “But to be able to share this day with him was an absolute honor. I wish him nothing but the best, and maybe I’ll see him somewhere down the road, and it won’t go 70-68.”

Years from now, tennis enthusiasts may not remember who won Silagra the 11-hour tennis match during the first round of the Wimbledon Championships, but they will recall the game that broke the Grand Slam record for longest match. “It’s something Nic and I will share forever,” Isner told ESPN. “I don’t think I’ve ever said five words to the guy prior to our match – not that he’s a bad guy. Now when I do see him in the locker room at other tournaments, we’ll always be able to share that.”

Isner came out on top during his first-round match against Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon, but he had his work cut out for him in the second round. The American netter didn’t even have time to recover from his epic match against Mahut, as the 6-foot-9 volley smasher turned right around the next day to face the Netherlands’ Thiemo De Bakker in the second round of Wimbledon action.
The exhausted Isner lost the second-round matchup in a quick three-set blowout, falling to de Bakker 6-0, 6-3, 6-2. Isner was physically and mentally drained from his marathon match the previous three days, coming off to a quick stumble by losing his first serving game against de Bakker – something he didn’t do for the entire 70-68 fifth set against Mahut in the first round.

John Isner may be out of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, but his legacy will live on for the unbelievable match he played against Nicolas Mahut in June.

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