Few sports are as energy-sapping as tennis. Two players slug it out in gladiatorial style, and it is often as much a mental battle as a physical one.
The unique scoring system tennis possesses also sets up matches to be played for a decent period of time.
Due to the hectic schedules, all players on the ATP and WTA undertake these days, all men’s matches outside of the Grand Slams are played over the best of 3 sets, upping to the best of 5 at Wimbledon, the US Open, Australian Open, and the French Open.
The advent of the tie break has impacted the length of most matches played, with players not needing to win a set by two clear games.
However, some epic battles still take place on a weekly basis on both tours, and over the years, there have been some incredible duels in professional tennis.
Here are the 10 longest tennis matches of all time:
10. Radek Stepanek vs Ivo Karlovic
Year: 2009
Match Time: 5 hours 59 minutes
Back in 2009, two of the most colourful characters in tennis battled in an epic Davis Cup clash between Croatia and the Czech Republic.
Both Radek Stepanek and Ivo Karlovic were players known for their serving capabilities, and with a total of 105 aces hit between them in the match, it wasn’t necessarily a match for tennis purists.
There were only three breaks of serve in the match, which lasted a minute under six hours, and it was ultimately Stepanek who prevailed, clinching the final set by 16 games to 14, to send the Czech Republic through to the Davis Cup final.
9. Harry Fritz vs Jorge Andrew
Year: 1982
Match Time: 6 hours 1 minute
The Davis Cup always seems to push players to the next level, and in 1982, Harry Fritz and Jorge Andrew were involved in a classic.
In the pre-tie-break age, Fritz, representing Canada, overcame Andrew, who was playing for Venezuela, in 5 arduous sets – with the match clock finally finishing up at 6 hours and 1 minute.
8. Horst Skoff vs Mats Wilander
Year: 1989
Match Time: 6 hours 4 minutes
Another Davis Cup encounter takes up the 8th spot on the list, as Horst Skoff produced an incredible upset to beat Mats Wilander.
Skoff refused to be beaten, prevailing 9-7 in the final set to seal an important win for Austria. However, it ultimately wasn’t enough, as Wilander and Sweden ended up taking the overall tie, 3-2.
7. Jose Luis Clerc vs John McEnroe
Year: 1980
Match Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
Jose Luis Clerc produced one of the all-time Davis Cup shocks in 1980, overcoming hot favourite John McEnroe in an epic encounter.
The match ebbed and flowed, with Clerc holding his nerve in the final set to take it 16-14 and seal an important victory for Argentina, who went on to beat the United States of America 4-1 in the tie.
6. Boris Becker vs John McEnroe
Year: 1987
Match Time: 6 hours 21 minutes
Two of the game’s all-time greats battled in the Davis Cup in 1987, and as expected, neither man gave an inch as Boris Becker took on John McEnroe.
With no tie-breaks in 1987, all five sets were lengthy affairs, and Boris Becker prevailed, clinching an important win for Germany.
5. John McEnroe vs Mats Wilander
Year: 1982
Match Time: 6 hours 22 minutes
Two men already mentioned on this list appear once more in yet another Davis Cup clash between John McEnroe of the USA and Mats Wilander of Sweden.
Every set was an ordeal, with John McEnroe getting over the line 8-6 in the final set, which turned out to be an important win for Sweden.
4. Fabrice Santoro vs Arnaud Clement
Year: 2004
Match Time: 6 hours 33 minutes
The first match on the list that wasn’t a Davis Cup tie was an incredible battle between two enigmatic Frenchmen at the French Open.
Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clement did not back down for over six and a half hours at Roland Garros.
It was Santoro who got over the line, 16-14, in the final set, setting a record at the time for the longest-ever match at a Grand Slam.
3. Kevin Anderson vs John Isner
Year: 2018
Match Time: 6 hours 36 minutes
Big serving can often mean that contests are lengthy affairs, and two of the biggest servers in the game battled in the 2018 Wimbledon semi-finals, as Kevin Anderson took on John Isner.
Four entertaining sets were then superseded by an incredible final set, in which Anderson came through by 26 games to 24 to reach the final, where he lost out to Novak Djokovic.
2. Leonardo Mayer vs Joao Souza
Year: 2015
Match Time: 6 hours 43 minutes
Brazil vs Argentina is always hotly contested in any sport, and the Davis Cup tie between Leonardo Mayer and Joao Souza has lived up to its billing.
Both men played for the best part of seven hours, making it the longest-ever match played on a clay court. However, the Argentine Mayer came out on top, taking the final set 15-13 and sealing a historic victory.
1. John Isner vs Nicholas Mahut
Year: 2010
Match Time: 11 hours 5 minutes
Standing well out in front at the top of the pile is John Isner and Nicholas Mahut’s epic encounter at Wimbledon in 2010.
Played on the iconic Court 18 at SW19, the match meandered into a final set, and what happened next has gone down in tennis folklore.
The match went on for three days, finally concluding with Isner taking the final set by 70 games to 68, setting a record match length of 11 hours and 5 minutes.
