Isner–Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Wimbledon 2010 first-round match

John Isner (23) vs. Nicolas Mahut (Q)
Set 1 2 3 4 5 John Isner 6 3 67 77 70 Nicolas Mahut 4 6 79 63 68
Date	22–24 June 2010
Tournament	Wimbledon
Location	London
Chair umpire	Mohamed Lahyani
Duration	11 hours 5 minutes
World rankings	John Isner: 19 Nicolas Mahut: 148
Previous head-to-head results
Mahut 1–0 Isner
John Isner
Nicolas Mahut

The Isner–Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships was the longest tennis match in history. It was a first-round match in the men's singles tournament. The American player John Isner, who was the 23rd seed, played against Nicolas Mahut, a French player who had to win qualifying matches to enter.

The match started on Court 18 at Wimbledon on Tuesday, 22 June 2010, at 6:13 pm. It was stopped that evening because it got too dark. Play started again on Wednesday, 23 June, at 2:05 pm. The match broke the record for the longest tennis match at 5:45 pm that day. It kept going until the final set was tied at 59 games each. Then, it was stopped again because of darkness at 9:09 pm.

The match began for a third time on Thursday, 24 June, at 3:40 pm. Finally, Isner won the match at 4:47 pm. The last set alone lasted an incredible 8 hours and 11 minutes!

In total, the match took 11 hours and 5 minutes of play over three days. The final score was 6–4, 3–6, 6–7^(7–9), 7–6^(7–3), 70–68. This means there were 183 games played. It is still the longest tennis match ever, both in how long it lasted and how many games were played.

Both players set many new tennis records. For example, each player served over 100 aces. People called the match "the endless match."

Because of this match, new rules were made for Wimbledon in 2019. Now, a tie break is played in the final set if the score reaches 12–12. In 2022, another rule change brought in a 10-point tie break at 6–6 in the final set for all Grand Slam matches. This means the Isner–Mahut match will probably stay the longest tennis match in history forever.

Match Details

The seven-page score card from the Isner–Mahut match

The match started on June 22, the second day of the tournament. In men's Grand Slam matches, the winner is the first player to win three sets. In the first four sets, a tiebreaker is used if the score gets to 6-6. However, in 2010, this rule did not apply to the fifth set at Wimbledon. This meant players had to keep playing until one of them led by two games.

The first four sets were fairly normal. Isner won the first set 6–4. Mahut won the second set 6–3. The third and fourth sets were very close and went to tiebreaks. Mahut won the third set tiebreak 9–7, and Isner won the fourth set tiebreak 7–3. This made the score two sets each. At this point, the match was stopped because it was too dark to play.

When the match started again on 23 June, it quickly became the longest match ever. Isner had four chances to win the match that day, but Mahut saved them all. Mahut also had two chances to win a game on Isner's serve, but he couldn't. The match was stopped for a second time because of darkness. The score in the fifth set was an unbelievable 59–59. Spectators were even chanting "We want more!"

After the second day, Isner drank a "recovery shake" and took an ice bath. His friend, Andy Roddick, brought him lots of food. Isner said he was so hungry he "could have eaten 12 Big Macs." He also said drinking coconut water helped him stay hydrated and avoid cramping. Mahut also had a cold bath and a massage. Both players got very little sleep.

The match started again on 24 June. Both players continued to serve very well. At 68–68, Mahut had a good chance to win a point, but he missed a shot. Isner then won four points in a row to keep his serve. At 68–69, Isner hit a great shot past Mahut, giving him his fifth chance to win the match. Isner won the next point with another strong shot.

So, after 67 minutes of play on the third day, Isner won the final set 70–68. The whole match lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes. This new world record was 4 hours and 32 minutes longer than the previous record.

Match Officials

The chair umpire for the entire match was Mohamed Lahyani from Sweden. Lahyani later said he was so focused on the amazing match that he didn't even think about eating or going to the toilet. On the second day, many linespeople and ballboys and ballgirls were used in shifts. At the end of the match, Lahyani accidentally announced the score incorrectly, mixing up the tie-break scores.

Scoreboard Problems

On the second day, the scoreboard next to the court stopped working at 47–47. It then went dark. Programmers from IBM said it was only made to go up to 47–47. They fixed it for the next day. The online scoreboard also had issues. Users were asked to "please add 50 to the Isner/Mahut game score." An IBM programmer worked late to update the system.

After the Match

Special Awards

The players and umpire pose by the scoreboard after the match

Right after the match, both players and the umpire received special crystal bowls and champagne glasses. These were given by the All England Club to celebrate the match. The players were interviewed on court and took photos with the scoreboard. Mahut later gave items from the match to the International Tennis Hall of Fame's Museum.

Isner and Mahut also won the 2010 ESPY Award for "Best Record-Breaking Performance." This was a big honor, as they beat famous athletes like Roger Federer and Usain Bolt.

The All England Club also placed a special plaque on Court 18 to remember the match. Time magazine called this match one of the Top 10 Sports Moments of 2010.

Players' Next Matches

As the winner, Isner moved on to the second round. He played Thiemo de Bakker the very next day, June 25. Isner lost to De Bakker very quickly, 0–6, 3–6, 2–6, in just 74 minutes. He was clearly very tired and needed medical help for his neck and shoulder. This was the shortest men's Wimbledon match that year.

Isner was also supposed to play a doubles match, but he had to pull out. He had a blister on his toe and was too exhausted. After leaving the tournament, Isner said he just wanted to relax and do things away from tennis.

Mahut also had a doubles match with his partner Arnaud Clément. This match was also delayed and played over several days. They eventually lost.

Isner and Mahut met again in 2011 at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, again in the first round! The chances of this happening were very small. Isner won this second match much faster, in straight sets (7–6, 6–2, 7–6), taking only 2 hours and 3 minutes.

Reactions to the Match

Many former players and commentators called the match historic. They said it was unlikely to ever happen again. John McEnroe said, "This is the greatest advertisement for our sport." He felt it showed how much skill and effort tennis players need.

Other players, officials, and fans also praised how both players behaved. Roger Federer said, "It's so impressive to see. I mean, I was watching this. I don't know if I was crying or laughing. It was too much." Novak Djokovic said that both players were winners, no matter who won the match.

Some experts worried about the players' health. A sports surgeon said the players risked dehydration and other problems. He thought they might have injuries or issues for up to six months. Mahut later shared that he suffered from depression and a back injury for three months after the match.

Mahut wrote a book about his experiences called Le match de ma vie (The Match of My Life). It was published in 2011.

Rule Changes

In October 2018, Wimbledon announced a new rule change. This was after another very long match in 2018 between Isner and Kevin Anderson. To prevent such long matches, from 2019 onwards, a tie break is played at Wimbledon if the final set score reaches 12–all. This rule was first used in the 2019 Wimbledon final. In 2022, all Grand Slam tournaments decided to try a new 10-point tie-break when scores reach 6–6 in the final set.

More Recognition

Wimbledon had planned to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the match in 2020. However, the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, Wimbledon posted the entire match video on its YouTube channel. Isner and Mahut celebrated their anniversary online. Isner joked about Mahut's hair, and Mahut replied, "Happy birthday friend John Isner. We should take some time together to remember that amazing story."

Records Set

The Isner–Mahut match set at least eleven new tennis records:

• Longest match: 11 hours, 5 minutes.
• Longest set: The fifth set lasted 8 hours, 11 minutes. This set alone was longer than the previous record for the longest match.
• Longest play on a single day: 7 hours, 4 minutes were played on day 2.
• Most games in a set: 138 games in the fifth set.
• Most games in a match: 183 games.
• Most aces by one player: Isner served 113 aces.
• Most total aces in a match: 216 aces (Isner 113, Mahut 103).
• Most consecutive service games held: 168 (84 for Isner, 84 for Mahut).
• Most games won by the winner: Isner won 92 games.
• Most games won by the loser: Mahut won 91 games.
• Most total points in a match: 980 points (Mahut 502, Isner 478).

The previous record for games in a match was 122 games in a 1973 Davis Cup match. The previous record for a singles match was 112 games in a 1969 Wimbledon match.

The previous official record for match length was 6 hours, 33 minutes, set at the 2004 French Open. The Isner–Mahut match's fifth set alone was about 90 minutes longer than this previous record.

Isner's 113 aces broke the previous record of 78 aces by Ivo Karlović. Mahut also served 103 aces, which was more than the old record too. To compare, Serena Williams had a women's record of 102 aces for the entire 2012 Wimbledon tournament.

The total time of the Isner–Mahut match was longer than Serena Williams' total playing time to win the entire Ladies Wimbledon title the year before. She played for less than ten hours in her whole tournament win.

A plaque on Wimbledon Court No. 18 remembers the longest match in tennis history.

Match Coverage

In the United Kingdom, parts of the match were shown live on BBC One, BBC Two, and BBC HD. The whole match was broadcast live on the BBC Red Button.

The BBC commentators for this match were Ronald McIntosh and Mark Cox on the first day, and McIntosh and Greg Rusedski on the second and third days. It was McIntosh's first time commentating at Wimbledon. It became the longest continuous commentary for a single match ever.

In the United States, ESPN and ESPN2 showed the match.

Match Statistics

Score

	1 32 mins	2 29 mins	3 49 mins	4 64 mins	5 491 mins
John Isner (23)	6	3	67	77	70
Nicolas Mahut (Q)	4	6	79	63	68

Session Times

All times are in British Summer Time (UTC+1).

Tuesday 22 June 2010

• 6:13 pm – The match begins on Court 18.
• 6:45 pm – Isner wins the first set 6–4.
• 7:14 pm – Mahut wins the second set 6–3.
• 8:03 pm – Mahut wins the third set 7–6, after winning the tiebreak 9–7.
• 9:07 pm – Isner wins the fourth set 7–6, after winning the tiebreak 7–3. Play is stopped because it's too dark. The match had lasted 2 hours, 54 minutes so far.

Wednesday 23 June 2010

• 2:05 pm – The match starts again on Court 18 for the fifth set.
• 5:45 pm – The match becomes the longest official match in history. The score is 32–32 in the fifth set.
• 9:09 pm – Play is stopped for a second time because of darkness. The score is tied at 59–59 in the fifth set. The match had lasted 9 hours, 58 minutes so far.

Thursday 24 June 2010

• 3:40 pm – The match starts again on Court 18 at 59–59 in the fifth set.
• 4:47 pm – The match ends! John Isner wins the final set 70–68. The total match time was 11 hours, 5 minutes.

Detailed Statistics

From Wimbledon's official website