A tennis match can stretch past midnight, but one Wimbledon first-round match took that idea to an extraordinary extreme: John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played for 11 hours and 5 minutes across three days. Their record still stands, and it is so far beyond an ordinary long match that it changed how tennis handles deciding sets.
Here are the longest matches on record, how their marathon scores came about, and what the sport changed afterward.
The longest tennis match ever played
The record belongs to American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, who met in the first round at Wimbledon in 2010. Isner won 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(7), 7–6(3), 70–68 after 11 hours and 5 minutes of play, spread over June 22, 23 and 24.
The match began like a tough, close contest. The astonishing part came in the fifth set. Under the rules at the time, players had to keep going until someone led by two games. Neither could find the decisive break for hours. The final set alone lasted 8 hours and 11 minutes and contained 138 games. Isner eventually broke Mahut’s serve at 68–68, then held to take the match.
Both players served brilliantly, making it difficult for the other to create chances. Isner hit 113 aces and Mahut hit 103, for a combined total of 216—another match record. The score was displayed on Wimbledon’s scoreboard, which famously ran out of room at 47–47 before being fixed.
The length came at a cost. Isner lost in the next round to Thiemo de Bakker, winning only a handful of games, and Mahut also went out in his next match. Their achievement was remarkable, but it showed the physical and scheduling strain of a deciding set without a tiebreak.
Other historic marathon matches
Isner–Mahut is the clear record holder, but several other matches have pushed beyond six hours or made their own mark in Grand Slam history.
| Match | Event | Duration | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Isner vs Nicolas Mahut | Wimbledon, 2010 | 11 hours, 5 minutes | Isner won 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(7), 7–6(3), 70–68 |
| John Isner vs Kevin Anderson | Wimbledon semifinal, 2018 | 6 hours, 36 minutes | Anderson won 7–6(6), 6–7(5), 6–7(9), 6–4, 26–24 |
| Fabrice Santoro vs Arnaud Clément | French Open, 2004 | 6 hours, 33 minutes | Santoro won 6–4, 6–3, 6–7(5), 3–6, 16–14 |
| Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic | Australian Open final, 2012 | 5 hours, 53 minutes | Djokovic won 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5), 7–5 |
| Stefan Edberg vs Michael Chang | US Open semifinal, 1992 | 5 hours, 26 minutes | Edberg won in five sets |
Isner and Anderson at Wimbledon, 2018
Eight years after his record match, Isner was again part of a Wimbledon epic—this time as the loser. Kevin Anderson beat him 26–24 in the fifth set after 6 hours and 36 minutes. The length was especially striking because the match was a semifinal, meaning Anderson had little recovery time before the final, which he lost to Djokovic.
The match helped renew calls for Wimbledon to limit deciding sets. The tournament introduced a final-set tiebreak at 12–12 in 2019. In 2022, the Grand Slams agreed on a shared approach: at 6–6 in the deciding set, players play a 10-point tiebreak. That prevents another 70–68 set while still giving players a chance to win by a margin.
The French Open and Australian Open records
At the 2004 French Open, Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clément played for 6 hours and 33 minutes. Their five-set match remains the longest recorded at Roland-Garros. Santoro’s variety and ability to disrupt rhythm helped him outlast fellow Frenchman Clément in a close final set.
The 2012 Australian Open final between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic lasted 5 hours and 53 minutes. Unlike a marathon driven largely by service holds, this was a high-level contest full of long baseline exchanges and changes in momentum. Djokovic finally broke Nadal late in the fifth set. Both players were visibly exhausted during the trophy ceremony, a rare glimpse of just how much a top-level final can demand.
Longest women’s tennis matches
The longest women’s match widely recognized in professional tennis lasted 6 hours and 31 minutes. Vicki Nelson-Dunbar defeated Jean Hepner 6–4, 7–6 at a tournament in Richmond, Virginia, in 1984. The match is also remembered for a reported 29-minute rally, an extreme example of patient, defensive play.
For a Grand Slam women’s match, the record is 4 hours and 44 minutes. Francesca Schiavone beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–4, 1–6, 16–14 in the fourth round of the 2011 Australian Open. The deciding set went on far longer than a typical set, with neither player able to secure the two-game lead required under the rules then in use.
These records depend partly on the format. Women’s Grand Slam singles matches are best of three sets, while men’s were traditionally best of five. That gives men’s matches more opportunities to run long, but a no-tiebreak deciding set can make either format unpredictable.
Why do tennis matches last so long?
Long matches usually combine close scoring with a format that keeps play going until a player gains a clear advantage. Big servers can hold serve repeatedly, leaving few break points. On grass, the fast surface and low bounce can make returns especially difficult; on clay, longer rallies can wear players down even when games finish more quickly.
Score alone does not tell the whole story. Two players can trade long rallies and still finish in a few hours if one takes control of the key points. Conversely, a match can drag on when each player protects serve, saves break points and keeps the deciding set level. Fatigue also changes tactics: players may shorten points, take more risks on returns or struggle to move into position for a second serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the longest tennis match ever?
John Isner’s victory over Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010 is the longest recorded match: 11 hours and 5 minutes across three days. Isner won the final set 70–68.
What is the longest match at a Grand Slam?
Isner–Mahut is also the longest match in Grand Slam history. It was played in the first round of Wimbledon, a major tournament.
What is the longest women’s tennis match?
Vicki Nelson-Dunbar beat Jean Hepner in 6 hours and 31 minutes at a tournament in Richmond in 1984. The longest women’s Grand Slam match is Schiavone–Kuznetsova at the 2011 Australian Open, lasting 4 hours and 44 minutes.
Can a tennis match still last 11 hours?
Under current Grand Slam rules, a deciding-set tiebreak begins at 6–6, so another 70–68 set cannot happen. Long matches remain possible, but that rule makes an Isner–Mahut-length marathon much less likely.
Final Thoughts
The longest matches are more than unusual scorelines. Isner–Mahut showed what can happen when huge serves meet a deciding set with no finish line; Nadal–Djokovic showed how relentless rallies and elite shot-making can stretch a final. The records remain part of tennis history, while the rules introduced since then aim to preserve the drama without asking players—or tournament schedules—to endure quite so much.
