John Isner finally broke Nicolas Mahut in their epic first-round Wimbledon encounter to end the longest match in history at 11 hours, 5 minutes. Nick Bollettieri takes a look at the key components of the match: the serve, the return and, most important, the heart of the two players.
I’ve been around tennis for over 50 years and I thought I’d seen it all. The match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut was record breaking in every way imaginable. But forget about the length of the match or even the silly amount of aces both were able to produce. Records were meant to be broken and they were clearly smashed to pieces in the 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68 match. Still, the will and perseverance these two warriors showed is something I can barely fathom.
Andre Agassi loved to wear down his opponents by taking out their legs, even if it meant staying on court for hours. Rafael Nadal takes pride in his ability to outlast any player across the net. No disrespect to Andre or Rafa, but the 11-hour match that ended today showed grit that just cannot be matched. Beyond their clear physical fatigue as the sunlight slowly faded last night, the soaking wet Isner and Mahut battled through unforced errors and missed break points over and over again. Every break chance or slight opening was shut closed immediately by an ace or stab volley. Seeing them hold serve by sheer determination made me feel like I was watching a heavyweight boxing match. They each withstood the other’s biggest blows time after time. In 11 hours, 5 minutes there are so many twists and turns to analyze, but the two keys in this match were obvious: the serve and the return.
The First Strike
Boris Becker would be happy to see that Wimbledon can still be played without many breaks of serve. Players and commentators always talk about the courts playing slower the last couple of years, but Isner and Mahut obviously missed the memo: Isner produced 112 aces, and Mahut 103. There was only one break throughout the 138-game fifth set, and it came in the last one when Isner broke Mahut to win 70-68. Isner must rest his legs tonight if he wants to get the same power and placement on his first strike in his next match.
Any Return Will Do
Throughout the match, both players looked like they needed a break. I’m not talking about time away from the court; they are both fit as fiddles and could last another 11 hours if they had to. I’m talking about a break of serve. Neither player made a dent on the other’s service games. When one player was able to put the ball back in play, it put enormous pressure on the server, especially as the players got more and more fatigued. In the end, Mahut won more points on the return, and also more points overall. But Isner ended up winning them when they counted, to break Mahut for the victory in this legendary marathon.
Nick Bollettieri of the IMG/Bollettieri Tennis Academy has trained many collegiate and professional players, including 10 who reached the world No. 1 ranking.