The answer depends on what you mean by “longest.” If you mean the greatest number of sets in a standard singles match, the ceiling is five—and plenty of men’s matches have gone the distance. If you mean the match that lasted the longest, the record belongs to John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, whose Wimbledon clash in 2010 also went five sets. What made it extraordinary was not the set count, but one set that seemed to have no end.
How many sets can a tennis match last?
In modern professional singles, men’s Grand Slam matches are best-of-five sets: the first player to win three sets wins the match. Most other men’s tour matches, and women’s singles matches at all four Grand Slams, are best-of-three. In that format, a player needs two sets to win.
| Match format | Sets needed to win | Maximum sets played |
|---|---|---|
| Best-of-three | 2 | 3 |
| Best-of-five | 3 | 5 |
So there isn’t one unique record-holder for the most sets in a standard match: every five-set match reaches the maximum. A five-setter can be over relatively quickly if the sets are one-sided, while a three-set match can take hours if its sets are close. Set count and match duration measure different things.
The answer can also depend on the competition and era. Some events use different formats, and rules around final-set tie-breaks have changed. But for the familiar question about the longest standard professional singles match by sets, five is the limit.
The longest match by duration: Isner vs. Mahut
On June 22, 2010, Isner and Mahut began a first-round match at Wimbledon that stretched across three days. It finished on June 24, with Isner winning 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(7), 7–6(3), 70–68. The match lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes, making it the longest recorded professional tennis match by duration.
The first four sets followed a familiar pattern. The fifth did not. Wimbledon had no final-set tie-break at the time, and a player had to win that set by two games. Neither man could get the decisive break. They held serve again and again until Isner finally broke Mahut at 70–68.
That final set alone lasted 8 hours and 11 minutes and contained 138 games. The match produced 216 aces between them: 113 for Isner and 103 for Mahut. Those numbers capture the tactical puzzle. Both players had formidable serves, so return games were scarce. A strong serve could save a player from pressure time after time, but it also made a clean break extraordinarily difficult.
The match was paused overnight and resumed on each of the next two days. By the final afternoon, both players were visibly exhausted, yet the serve-and-return contest kept going. It remains the clearest example of why “five sets” alone doesn’t explain how long a tennis match can last.
Other famous long matches in five sets
Isner–Mahut is the duration record, but several other marathon matches help put it in perspective. They all reached the five-set maximum; the difference was how long their sets, rallies and pressure points took to resolve.
| Match | Event and year | Duration | Why it stands out |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Isner vs. Nicolas Mahut | Wimbledon, 2010 | 11 hours 5 minutes | Longest recorded match; final set ended 70–68 |
| Fabrice Santoro vs. Arnaud Clément | French Open, 2004 | 6 hours 33 minutes | A long, grinding five-set match that held the duration record before 2010 |
| Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal | Australian Open final, 2012 | 5 hours 53 minutes | A five-set final that tested both players’ endurance and defence |
| Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer | Wimbledon final, 2019 | 4 hours 57 minutes | The first Wimbledon men’s singles final decided by a final-set tie-break |
These examples also show why a five-set match need not feature an enormous final score. Under today’s Grand Slam rules, a final set is eventually decided by a tie-break: Wimbledon uses one at 12–12, while the other three majors use a tie-break at 6–6. That makes a repeat of a 70–68 final set in a Grand Slam match impossible under the current rules.
Does a women’s match have fewer sets?
Women’s singles at the Grand Slams are best-of-three, so the maximum is normally three sets. That doesn’t mean women’s matches can’t become epic. At the 2011 Australian Open, Francesca Schiavone beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–4, 1–6, 16–14 in a match lasting 4 hours and 44 minutes. It is widely recognised as the longest women’s singles match at a Grand Slam by duration.
There have been format exceptions in tennis history, including a period when the US Open women’s singles final used best-of-five sets. That’s one reason it helps to specify whether you’re asking about current rules, a particular tournament, or the longest match by time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the longest tennis match by sets?
In standard professional singles, five sets is the maximum in a best-of-five match. Many men’s Grand Slam matches have reached five sets, so there is no single match that holds the record for set count alone.
What is the longest tennis match ever played?
John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played for 11 hours and 5 minutes at Wimbledon in 2010. Isner won in five sets, with the deciding set finishing 70–68.
Why did Isner and Mahut’s match last so long?
Wimbledon then required the final set to be won by two games and had no final-set tie-break. Both players served exceptionally well, making breaks rare. The result was a fifth set that lasted more than eight hours.
Can a modern Grand Slam match still finish 70–68?
No. All four Grand Slams now use a final-set tie-break, so a set cannot continue indefinitely. The tie-break rules vary slightly by tournament, but they prevent the kind of score seen in 2010.
Final Thoughts
For the longest match by sets, the straightforward answer is five: that is the maximum in a standard best-of-five singles match. For the longest match by time, Isner–Mahut is the record, and its 70–68 final set explains why the two questions are often mixed up. One counts how many sets a match can contain; the other measures how long the players keep finding a way to continue.
