Unlike most sports, tennis has no time limit. Instead, the match ends, once one of the athletes wins in a certain number of sets. With this rule in mind, the sport provided the possibility that certain oddities would occur. Most matches end in about two hours. Some even stretch for three hours. However, whether it is a doubles or singles match, sometimes the final score cannot be established within a reasonable time frame. It doesn't matter if the match is between men or women. The matches on this list are the 10 longest tennis battles in history. The athletes on this list must be characterized by inhuman levels of endurance. Simply put, no ordinary person would be able to endure any of these matches. These matches are actually very unusual.

10. Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in 2012 (the match lasted 5 hours and 53 minutes)

In modern tennis, two people have risen to the very top of the rankings. One is a fierce southpaw who is the King of the Clay, and the other is a man who competed with himself as often as he competed with his opponents on the court. In 2012, these wars clashed in an epic match that will forever remain in the memory of tennis fans. In 2012, in the final of the Australian Open (Australian Open Final), Djokovic met with a seasoned opponent - Rafael Nadal. The duel reached a tie-break in the fourth set (Nadal was leading 2-1 at the time), and many wondered if Novak would be able to counter his opponent. Oh, how did he still come back to the game. He won the tie-break in the fourth set, after which he won the fifth set 7-5. The match lasted 5 hours and 53 minutes, and an exhausted Djokovic fell to the court with joy when it was over.

9. Radek Stepanek defeated Ivo Karlovic in 2009 (match lasted 5 hours 59 minutes)

Most of the matches on this list took place within the framework of the Davis Cup (Davis Cup). This is the first of many of these matches in which the feisty Czech Stepanek outlasted the Croatian Ivo Karlovic in a fight that narrowly missed 6 hours. Radek and Ivo were both in contention for a place in the Davis Cup Final in 2009 and neither wanted to back down. What makes this match unique is the number of tie-breaks played by the athletes (all four sets ended in a tie-break). The fifth and final set ended with the score going into double digits. As a result, Stepanek beat off a strong serve from Karlovic and won in the fifth set with a score of 16-14.

8. Horst Skoff defeated Mats Wilander in 1989 (the match lasted 6 hours and 4 minutes)


In the first match of this list, which lasted more than six hours, Skoff and Wilander met in the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup in 1989. After the first two sets ended in a tie-break (each athlete won one set), the third set was simply shocking. Skoff lost the set 6-1. It seemed that Wilander was about to crush Horst. However, Skoff managed to bounce back and win in the fourth set 6-4. As the match time neared 6 o'clock, the players struggled until Skoff beat Wilander twice in a row, allowing him to win 9-7 in the fifth set. Despite the fact that Mats lost in a long and difficult match that lasted just over 6 hours, his team (Sweden) made it to the Davis Cup final. In the final, they lost to the Federal Republic of Germany with a score of 3-2.

7. Lucas Arnold Ker, David Nalbandian defeated Evgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin in 2002 (the match lasted 6 hours and 20 minutes)


In the first doubles match of this list, Argentine partners Ker and Nalbandian defeated the Russians, Kafelnikov and Safin, in a match that lasted much longer than anyone could have expected. In the 2002 Davis Cup semi-final, both of these teams competed for a place in the final. Ker and Nalbandian won the first two sets, and it looked like the Russians wouldn't even win one set. However, they were able to squeeze out a victory in the third set (7-5) and even beat the Argentines quite solidly in the fourth set (6-4). Considering the duration of the match at 6 hours and 20 minutes, you would think that the fifth set should have consisted of an incredible number of games. And so it was. In total, it took 36 games in the fifth set for the Argentines to win the match.

6. Boris Becker defeated John McEnroe in 1987 (the match lasted 6 hours and 21 minutes)


Although the match only lasted a minute longer than the previous doubles match, the 1987 Davis Cup meeting between Becker and McEnroe will never be forgotten. From any match between these two tennis players, fans could expect a fierce fight and the best tennis that they would ever see. In this particular case, when the reputation of their countries was at stake, Boris and John entered into an intense, bitter struggle for victory. After McEnroe won the first set 6-4, no one expected a lengthy second set. Boris won the second set, winning 15 games to 13 games. Each athlete won one set before the last set began, in which Becker scored a landslide 6-2 victory.

5. John McEnroe defeated Mats Wilander in 1982 (the match lasted 6 hours and 22 minutes)

Despite the fact that both athletes have met in this list in the previous paragraphs, this was the first match for each of the athletes, lasting more than six hours. Surpassing the previous match by only one minute, John McEnroe in this match defeated Wilander in five grueling sets. The third set of this match, again played in the Davis Cup (this time in 1982), was the forerunner of absurdly long tennis matches. Wilander defeated John 17-15 in the third set. However, the incredibly hardy McEnroe was not defeated and eventually even won the match, taking the fifth set with a score of 8-6.

4. Vicki Nelson defeated Jean Hepner in 1984 (the match lasted 6 hours and 31 minutes)


This is the only match on this list between two women and it's a very impressive achievement. Why? If you're familiar with the rules of tennis, you'll know that men's matches are played best-of-five sets (during the Grand Slams and several others), while women's matches are only best-of-three. sets". Considering that this match lasted only three sets, you can guess how hard and strenuously these two athletes played at any point in the match. Both athletes were originally from America and we can say that the match is for who will go to the second round international tournament Central Fidelity Banks International was very much like a tug-of-war with mixed success. Nelson ended up defeating Hepner in the third set 11-9.

3. Fabrice Santoro defeated Arnaud Clement in 2004 (the match lasted 6 hours and 33 minutes)


In one of the few matches of this list that did not pass within the framework of the Davis Cup, two representatives of France met. The prize was the 2004 French Cup, but only one of them would have made it past the first round. After Santoro won the first two sets, the prospects for the tournament looked very bleak for Clement, but he was able to avoid defeat by winning the third set in a tie-break. After an unexpectedly easy 6-3 fourth set win, the match was to be decided in one set. In fact, the match went on so long that the last set ended only the next day. Santoro was able to fight back and won in the fifth set with a score of 16-14.

2. Tomas Berdych, Lukas Rosol defeated Stanislas Wawrinka, Marco Chiudinelli in 2013 (the match lasted 7 hours and 2 minutes)


The second doubles match of this list is also the first match to exceed seven hours. The 2013 Davis Cup first round match featured two athletes who had recently entered the top ten tennis players (Berdykh and Wawrinka). Both teams, fighting to ensure that the championship went to their country, showed amazing efforts on the court. All sets ended with a very close score (the only set that had a comparative advantage in one side ended with a score of 6-4), and the fans enjoyed watching the match immensely. After the hands of the clock crossed the seven o'clock mark, Berdykh and Rosol converted a match point. They won the fifth set 24-22 after an epic battle lasting seven hours.

1. John Isner defeated Nicolas Mayut in 2010 (the match lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes)


This match, perhaps, will remain unsurpassed forever. The match during the first round of the Wimbledon tournament (Wimbledon) in 2010 even later received a memorial plaque with information about the three-day battle. It was the perfect combination. Isner, with his heavy sweeping serve and fast style Mayuta made them diametrically opposed. The weakness of each turned out to be the advantage of the other. After the match had been going on for two days, it was not only the fans who watched it tennis. Everyone gave up what they were doing to see if the match would ever end. After three days tennis level Grand Slam Isner fell to the ground. All of his body's energy was wasted. He won the longest tennis match of all time, 70-68 in the fifth set. This match will be written in textbooks and will never be forgotten. And what did you do when Isner defeated Mayu?

The longest match in tennis history was played at Wimbledon.

American John Isner, ranked 19th in the ranking of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), played with the 148th racket of the world, Frenchman Nicolas Mayu, the longest match in the history of tennis. The duel of these rivals in the first round of Wimbledon lasted for three days. The match lasted 11 hours and five minutes and ended with Isner's victory with a score of 6:4, 3:6, 6:7 (7:9), 7:6 (7:3), 70:68.
Tennis players have broken a number of records - in particular, in the number of games in one set and one match, as well as in the number of aces. Isner completed 112 innings right through, and Mayu had 103 aces on his account.

The match began on June 22, when the athletes played four sets. On June 23, the game continued - tennis players played to the score of 59:59 in the fifth installment, after which the match was again postponed due to darkness. On June 24, the meeting ended.

The previous tennis record was 6 hours 33 minutes, and it was set at Roland Garros 2004 by the French Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clement. And the previous Wimbledon record was set in 2008 by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal - then their final meeting lasted 4 hours and 48 minutes.


The fifth decisive set of the match between Mayu and Isner has already surpassed in duration the match between Santoro and Clément at Roland Garros 2004 and is the longest set in the history of tennis. It should be noted that the match began on Tuesday, when tennis players played four sets, but on Wednesday the fifth set continued until the score was 59:59 and was rescheduled due to the onset of darkness.

The participants of the 11-hour match and the chief referee of the meeting, Mohamed Lehyani from Sweden, received valuable gifts at the end of the historic fight. So, the judge was presented with a crystal vase, Wimbledon's signature tie and silver cufflinks.

« You know, despite the fact that I spent more than 11 hours sitting on a chair, I did not feel tired., the judge said. - I was so caught up in what was going on on the court that my concentration kept me from thinking about anything else. You see, when you are so passionate about something, you do not think about food or taking a bath. I was shocked by the resilience and spirit of these tennis players who did the seemingly impossible.", - said the 44-year-old referee.

Mohamed Lehyani, who lives in Spain, admitted that during the match he often lost his voice, and therefore he began to cough every now and then.

« To clear my throat, I not only cleared my throat, but also tried to drink more. Probably the most I haven't drunk in my entire life.”, The referee added, admitting that during the game he often even forgot about his stiff arms and legs, and when he remembered that he tried to stretch as little as possible on the tower, although he did not experience any particular inconvenience from stiff limbs, as he was already used to fixed seat during economy class air travel.

Lehyani also said that he had not refereeed matches for so many hours before - the longest match under his service ended in five and a half hours.

And here are other Wimbledon records:

Longest match - 11 hours 5 minutes (previous record - Fabrice Santoro - Arnaud Clement at Roland Garros -2004 - 6 hours 33 minutes)
Most games in a match - 183 (Pancho Gonzalez - Charlie Pasarell at Wimbledon - 1969 - 112)
Longest set - 70:68 (John Newcomb - Marty Reissen at US Open-1969 - 25:23)

Most aces in a match - 112 Isner, 103 Mayu (78 for Ivo Karlovic in the 2009 Davis Cup semi-final match against Radek Stepanek)

Agreement or fight?

June 24, 2010 at Wimbledon hosted the longest match in the history of tennis. The authors of the record were two inconspicuous tennis players of the second echelon - John Eisner (USA) and Nicolas Mayu (France). longest tennis match lasted as much as 11 hours 5 minutes. Thus, the previous record fell by almost a twofold excess.

Evil tongues say that the match was fixed and its participants simply found a way to get into history. On the other hand, eyewitnesses of the confrontation instruct that everything took place in a stubborn and exhausting struggle that cannot be played out.

Match results

The longest tennis match ended with a basketball score of 70:68 in favor of American John Eisner at Wimbledon tennis tournament on Thursday 24 June 2010. To the relief of the public, the fifth set of the longest match in the history of this sport has come to an end.

Eisner's amazing duel with the Frenchman Nicolas Mayu lasted a total of 11 hours and 5 minutes. The final score is 6:4, 3:6, 6:7 (7:9), 7:6 (7:3), 70:68 in favor of the American. From now on, he also holds the record for the number of aces in one match - 112.

Together, tennis players in this match filed right through 215 times. In the fifth set, where to win it was necessary to break away from the opponent by two points, they alternately took their serves. According to Eisner, who ended up in the second round of Wimbledon, "this will never happen again."

Previous records

The title of the longest match in the history of professional tennis until today wore a duel between the French Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clement, who "butted" in 2004 on the slowest clay surface "Roland Garros" 6 hours 33 minutes. The Wimbledon record was 6 hours and 9 minutes.

The world record for the number of aces was previously held by Croatian Ivo Karlovic - 78 innings right through in the 2009 Davis Cup match Croatia - Czech Republic.

The meeting was suspended for the first time on Tuesday before the submission of the American in the decisive game. However, on Wednesday, the tennis players failed to determine the strongest in their confrontation, the referees separated them with a score of 59:59 in the decisive set.

Perhaps the participants in this unusual marathon simply wanted to forever write their names in the history of tennis in this way. How else to explain the fact that during yesterday's day none of them could break away from the opponent by two points. Although, according to eyewitnesses, immediately before the suspension of the match on Wednesday, tennis players did everything possible to bring it to a victorious end. At the same time, the fans chanted non-stop: "We want more, we want more!"

The duel took place on the 18th court of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, due to which the game was not broadcast on the main sports television channels. However, one of the brightest masters in the history of tennis, John McEnroe, called it "the most outstanding advertisement for this sport."

Tournaments" Grand Slam"and Davis Cup matches are the perfect place to add to the list of record-breaking matches in the history of tennis - because at present only here the five-set format has been preserved.

It is interesting that it was the Davis Cup, the importance of which is regarded by many leading tennis players much lower than the “majors”, which gave the most lengthy matches, most often testifying to the incredible intensity of the struggle.

Of the ten longest men's tennis matches in the history of the Open Era, six are specifically Davis Cups, and most of them have met outstanding athletes who have enriched the history of the game by no means only with these results.

5 hours 41 minutes. Paul-Henri Mathieu - John Isner. Roland Garros -2012, second round - 6/7(2), 6/4, 6/4, 3/6, 18/16

John Isner regularly becomes the hero of the column "the longest matches". Taking the pitch of the American giant is problematic even for the players of the Big Four, to say nothing of the rest of the tennis players. However, when John comes across an opponent who also categorically refuses to give up his games, a stalemate is created.

In a match with Paul-Henri Mathieu at last year's Roland Garros, the American looked like a favorite, but in the fifth installment the Frenchman, to the applause of his native audience, stood up literally tightly. The war of nerves eventually ended with the fact that it was Isner who trembled. This match is currently the second longest in French Open history.

5 hours 45 minutes. Mehdi Tahiri - Gilles Muller. 2005 Davis Cup, First Group - 6/7(4), 6/4, 7/6(3), 6/7(5), 6/4

The national teams of Morocco and Luxembourg lost their starting matches, so no one wanted to leave the First Group. The fierce battle between the Moroccans who had lost their former splendor and the Luxembourgers who never shone was marked by a stubborn and tough confrontation between Mehdi Tahiri and Gilles Muller.

The Moroccan veteran, who had defended the colors of the national team since 1993, resisted fiercely and was able to achieve victory. This, however, did not help his team - Luxembourg won and retained a place in the Davis Cup First Group.

5 hours 46 minutes. Arnaud Clement - Marc Rosset. 2001 Davis Cup Quarterfinal - 6/3, 3/6, 7/6(5), 6/7(6), 15/13

Arnaud Clement is another frequenter of such matches. In 2001, the French team was heading for its ninth victory in the Davis Cup, but the Swiss turned out to be an unexpectedly serious obstacle in its path - the young Roger Federer and the most experienced Mark Rosset.

It is he, Olympic champion Barcelona, ​​twice equalized the score in the opening match of the match against Clement, and in the fifth installment he resisted for twenty-eight games. Clement snatched the victory, but the outcome of the match was decided only in the fifth match, which Rosse, physically exhausted, could no longer enter. Georg Bastl lost in five sets to Nicolas Escude, and the French team proceeded to the semi-finals.

5 hours 53 minutes. Novak Djokovic - Rafael Nadal. Australian Open-2012, final - 5/7, 6/4, 6/2, 6/7(5), 7/5

But this match all the fans remember very well. And not only because it took place just over a year ago. "In hot pursuit" some experts suggested that the match be recognized as the best in the history of tennis, but even the most notorious skeptics will agree that he is in the top ten without any questions.

Both great tennis players showed here the best they could, giving all the best throughout each draw. Rafael Nadal failed to get rid of the "Djokovic complex" in Melbourne, but it was here that he took the first step towards this.

5 hours 59 minutes. Radek Stepanek - Ivo Karlovich. 2009 Davis Cup Semi-Final - 6/7(5), 7/6(5), 7/6(6), 6/7(2), 16/14

When Ivo Karlovic is serving, and the opponents have a strong tennis player, this means that each set is likely to end in a tie-break. That is exactly what happened in the opening bout of the 2009 Davis Cup semi-finals. The problem for Ivo was that Radek Stepanek's serve also went...

As a result, four games invariably ended in tie-breaks, and according to the results of the marathon fifth set, the more experienced and seasoned Stepanek turned out to be stronger. When, in the second duel, Tomasz Berdych also defeated Marin Cilic in five games, almost everything in this semi-final became clear.

6 hours 4 minutes. Horst Skoff - Mats Wilander. 1989 Davis Cup Quarterfinal - 6/7(5), 7/6(7), 1/6, 6/4, 9/7

The Swedish national team, along with the West Germany team, was one of the main favorites for the Davis Cup in the eighties. However, the opponent in the quarter-final the Swedes got a very severe. The Austrian team, led by the young Thomas Muster, defeated the Australians in the first round, and had to seriously compete with the favorites on the Vienna soil.

However, a few days before the match with the Swedes, Muster was hit by a car in Key Biscayne, as a result of which he tore two knee ligaments at once. But even without their leader, the Austrians fought desperately. 21-year-old Horst Skoff fought twice in the match with the former first racket of the world, and in the decisive set he was able to make such an important break. Nevertheless, the victory in the match still went to the Swedes, who lost to the German national team in the final of the tournament.

The life of one of the heroes of this match did not really work out. Horst won four ATP tournaments, but in 1995 he was forced to retire. In 2008, at the age of thirty-nine, Horst Skoff died of a heart attack.

6 hours 21 minutes. Boris Becker - John McEnroe. 1987 Davis Cup World Group Playoffs - 4/6, 15/13, 8/10, 6/2, 6/2

It is hard to imagine, but in 1987 the national teams of Germany and the USA met in the World Group playoff match, having suffered defeat in the first round of the draw. Not wanting to leave the elite, the team captains pulled up their best forces- young Boris Becker and aging, but still formidable John McEnroe.

At that time, there were no tie-breaks in the Davis Cup yet, so the main events unfolded in the second and third sets, one of which went to Boris, and the other to John. However, two marathon games exhausted the great American so much that after that he only episodically offered worthy resistance. Becker won, and with him - the German team, sending the US team to the hardest "knockout".

6 hours 22 minutes. John McEnroe - Mats Wilander. 1982 Davis Cup Quarterfinal - 9/7, 6/2, 15/17, 3/6, 8/6

Well, five years before that, McEnroe was in his prime and at the zenith of his glory. Everything he could, “Junior” in the quarterfinal match against the Swedish team did, but let down partners – Eliot Teltscher and Brian Gottfried. As a result, McEnroe's second singles match against Mats Wilander proved to be decisive.

McEnroe took the first two sets in the fight, but in the third installment the young Swede flatly refused to lose. Mats literally took all the balls, and according to the results of the titanic struggle, he celebrated the victory in the game - 17/15. Inspired Wilander equalized the score - 2:2, and resisted for a long time in the fifth set, until McEnroe remembered that he was, after all, the first racket of the world.

In the future, the Americans had no problems with winning the Davis Cup - 5:0 with the Australians and 4:1 with the French in the final. But the duel between McEnroe and Wilander became the longest in the history of the Davis Cup.

6 hours 33 minutes. Fabrice Santoro - Arnaud Clement. "Roland Garros" -2004, first round - 6/4, 6/3, 6/7(5), 3/6, 16/14

The last "Roland Garros" "donadalevskoy" era turned out to be extremely interesting. In particular, the fans were also pleased with two outstanding Frenchmen. Santoro and Clement lasted their match until dark, as a result of which the fight had to be rescheduled for the second day.

But even after the resumption of the game, the two brave Frenchmen fought so famously that they eventually set the record for the duration of matches in the history of Roland Garros, as well as the absolute record of the Open Era. Who could have known that this achievement was destined to last only six years?

11 hours 5 minutes. John Isner - Nicolas Mayut. Wimbledon 2010 first round. 6/4, 3/6, 6/7(7), 7/6(3), 70/68

This fight will forever remain in the history of tennis. Three days, one hundred and eighty-three games, two hundred and sixteen aces, nine absolute records games. It is unlikely that a duel like this will ever take place. Although, do not hesitate. After the match between Santoro and Clement in 2004, something similar also sounded.

By the way, interesting fact- It took Serena Williams a total of just under ten hours to win the 2010 Wimbledon title in seven matches - less than that titanic first-round match lasted.

However, do not underestimate women's tennis, because the longest fight here lasted 6 hours 31 minutes - and this is for two sets! In 1984 on WTA tournament in Richmond, American Vicki Nelson defeated her compatriot Jean Hepner with a score of 6/4, 7/6 (9).

This match also set two absolute tennis records. Firstly, the longest draw in the history of tennis was recorded here - 643 strokes in twenty-nine minutes. Secondly, this is the longest meeting in history - of those that were played over the course of one day. After all, Clement and Santoro, and even more so Mayu and Isner, did not meet in one day.

So women tennis players also have something to brag about. However, in total mass five-set matches for men, the chances of setting an outstanding record are much greater. I wonder what the 2013 season will please the fans in this area?