5 longest matches in Tennis History
The five longest matches in tennis history, featuring epic battles that lasted over six hours. Relive the moments that kept fans on the edge of their seats.
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Tennis isn’t an easy sport. It’s a match based on precision, talent, and technique. The game continues until one player scores the necessary amount of points, or until a player quits or retires in the middle of the court due to exhaustion or an injury that prevents them from continuing.
This is precisely the reason why extended matches are so captivating. The audience is kept on the edge of their seats by it. When Rafael Nadal, one of the all-time greats, defeated Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open in 2022, we witnessed precisely this. In the five hours and twenty-four minute final, the Spaniard prevailed. In addition, Nadal surpassed players like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to become the first tennis player to win 21 Grand Slam titles.
Notwithstanding this, the match isn’t even close to being the longest in tennis history. The top five tennis matches that lasted longer than six hours are listed below.
5. Fabrice Santoro Vs Arnaud Clement (2004 French Open, 6 hours and 33 minutes)
Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clement faced off in the first round of the French Open in 2004, producing a classic. The match between 32nd seed Arnaud Clement and unseeded Santoro lasted more than six hours. The game lasted for two days because it was that long. During the entertaining back-and-forth exchange, Santoro also managed to save two match points.
It was a physical and psychological match. In addition, the match’s past was further complicated by a great deal of animosity. It seems that captain Guy Forget had cut Santoro from the French Davis Cup team the same year. The French tennis community was divided as a result, and tensions ran high among the players. Fabrice entered the court with a purpose to accomplish.
Santoro won the opening two sets and secured the deal in the fifth and final set. The scores were 6-4,6-3,6-7,3-6, 16-14. After the match, Santoro’s on-court collapse after blasting a backhand winner past Clement was a true testament to his unfiltered feelings.
4. Kevin Anderson Vs John Isner (2018 Wimbledon, 6 hours 36 minutes)
There were two memorable semifinal matchups at the 2018 Wimbledon for men. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic faced off in one, while Kevin Anderson and John Isner faced off in another. Even though the former was the centre of attention, the latter was the one who took centre stage.
It is the longest tennis match ever to be played in a semifinal. The match culminated with these two former college pals exchanging passionate embraces in the 49th game of the decisive set.
In the end, the result was 7-6,6-7,6-7,6-4, 26-24. Isner (6’10”) and Anderson (6’8″), two enormous athletes, actually performed a game on par with their incredible height.
3. Leonardo Mayer (ARG) Vs Joao Souza (BRA) (2015 Davis Cup, 6 hours 43 mins)
If you believe that football is the only sport in which Brazil and Argentina are rivals, you should reconsider. All the necessary spice was present in the duel between Leonardo Mayer of Argentina and Joao Souza of Brazil. For Argentina to have a chance in the Davis Cup group stages, Mayer had to win the match. There was additional strain because the game was held in Buenos Aires, his native country.
The fact that Mayer lost out on ten match points made it very clear. He eventually broke Souza’s serve to lead 14–13. A thunderous applause from the audience and his teammates sent the 29-year-old Argentine to the ground. The score was 7-6,7-6,5-7,5-7,15-13 in the end. Additionally, it succeeded in tying the best-of-five series at 2-2. It was an incredibly significant occasion for both Argentine tennis and South American tennis in general.
2. Tomas Berdych/Lukas Rosol (CZE) Vs Stan Wawrinka/ Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) (2013 Davis Cup, 7 hours 1 minute)
On the list of the longest tennis matches ever played, this match is the only doubles match. Additionally, it is the longest Davis Cup match ever. It went on for seven hours and one minute, and it was really tiresome. Two teams competed in a contest at Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland, and went all out to win.
But in the end, the guests were the ones who got the final laugh. With Berdych and Rosol winning 6-4,5-7,6-4,6-7, 24-22 in the end. The Czechs were able to take a 2-1 lead thanks to the victory. That year, it also played a key role in the Czechs’ Davis Cup victory.
1. John Isner Vs Nicolas Mahut (2010 Wimbledon, 11 hours 5 minutes)
John Isner can now officially refer to himself as tennis’s “Marathon Man”. The veteran has fought in some very hard fights. He appears on this list twice, which is the reason for it. This encounter with Nicolas Mahut, a Frenchman, took place long before he faced Kevin Anderson. Furthermore, he was in the winner’s corner during this fight, in contrast to his on-court match in 2018.
The game lasted for days, not just minutes or hours. The game ended at 4:47 p.m. on June 24, having begun at 6:13 p.m. BST on June 22. The waning daylight was the only reason for the gaps. The match ended with a never-before-seen scoreline of 6-4,3-6,6-7,7-6,70-68. There were a total of 183 games played, a record. Globally, the match smashed numerous records. It was so long-lasting that many called it “the endless match.”