Tennis is a difficult sport to master. It’s a showdown of talent, technique, and dexterity. The game continues until one player earns the requisite amount of points or until a player gives up or retires in the middle of the court due to injury or exhaustion.
This is one of the reasons why long-duration matches are so popular. The audience is kept on the edge of their seats. This is precisely what happened on January 30, 2022, when Rafael Nadal, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, defeated Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open 2022. The Spaniard triumphed in a five-hour and twenty-four-minute final.
It also gave Nadal the distinction of being the first tennis player to win 21 Grand Slam championships, overtaking Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Despite this, the match isn’t anywhere near to being one of the longest in tennis history. The top 3 tennis matches that lasted more than six hours are shown below.
1. Fabrice Santoro Vs Arnaud Clement (2004 French Open, 6 hours and 33 minutes)
Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clement, both Frenchmen, met in the first round of the 2004 French Open and created a classic. Santoro, an unseeded player, faced Arnaud Clement, a 32nd seed, in a match that lasted more than six hours. The game lasted two days since the duration was so long.
2. Kevin Anderson Vs John Isner (2018 Wimbledon, 6 hours 36 minutes)
It is the record for the longest tennis match in a semi-final. The battle culminated in the 49th game of the deciding set, with the two old college buddies hugging it out in the finish.
7-6,6-7,6-7,6-4, 26-24 was the final score. Anderson (6’8″) and Isner (6’10”), two massive athletes, genuinely played a game that matched their size.
3. Leonardo Mayer (ARG) Vs Joao Souza (BRA) (2015 Davis Cup, 6 hours 43 mins)
If you believe the rivalry between Brazil and Argentina is only about football, you’re mistaken. The battle between Joao Souza of Brazil and Leonardo Mayer of Argentina had all the spice required to compete. Mayer needed to win the game to keep Argentina’s Davis Cup chances alive in the group rounds. Furthermore, the match was held in his native country, in the city of Buenos Aires, adding to the strain.