Isner vant til slutt femte sett med 70-68
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Finally it came came to a conclusion at teatime on Thursday when with one last backhand John Isner won 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68. It will not come as a shock to anyone to learn that the match is the longest ever played. Heck - the last set was longer than the previous LME (longest match ever). When Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clement spent six hours and 33 minutes settling their differences at the French Open in 2004, we all gasped. But that was no more than a jog in the park compared to Isner and Nicolas Mahut. They took eight hours and 11 minutes just to complete the fifth set.
When they were called off court as darkness fell on Wednesday night, word was spreading like wildfire. This was a moment of history and everyone wanted to be a part of it. England had qualified from the group stages of the World Cup that afternoon but it was not the main topic of conversation - what was occupying the minds of the Wimbledon faithful was how they were going to get a seat on Court 18 on Thursday.
One American journalist had left the match on Wednesday in order to go up to Wimbledon Village to watch the football in the pub. When he came back, he could not believe that the two were still going strong. He still could not believe it when they took another 65 minutes and 20 games to settle matters on Thursday.
Trying to get anywhere near the court was almost impossible. Every seat was taken and every vantage point was packed. The roof of the Broadcast Centre which overlooks the court, was heaving with TV folk and more than a few souls who did not seem to have any connection to the media at all. The walkways round about were packed tight with anxious faces trying to get a glimpse of history in the making and the security guards were doing their best to repel the masses but it was King Canute trying to tell the tide to go back - utterly hopeless.
Up in the BBC commentary box, Ronald McIntosh was doing his first stint behind the SW19 microphones. The bosses had thought that would "ease him in" with a "minor match" on a smallish show court. It was his first gig in Wimbledon but by the end of the three days, he was already a veteran tennis broadcaster and was coming up for his long service medal.
But it was a strange place to be, out on court 18. The crowd obviously wanted someone to win - this week, preferably - but they really did not want anyone to lose. And by the look of Isner, who had looked absolutely whacked for the last five hours of the match, he would have to be put on suicide watch if the result did not go his way.
When it did finally end, it was Mahut who looked inconsolable. He hid his head in a towel for what seemed like an eternity as the applause echoed around the stands. He had given his all and after three days he had come second. He could hardly bear it. Isner stood and applauded him and encouraged the crowd to cheer the beaten Frenchman. It did not work - Mahut was going to take a lot of cheering up.
The All England Club, bless them, had organised a little presentation ceremony. This historic moment should not go unmarked and so, wheeling out Tim Henman and Ann Jones, they gave a pile of prezzies to both players and to the umpire, Mohamed Lahyani (it was a crystal bowl and some champagne flutes, in case you were wondering).
Poor Mahut, he looked as if he wanted to be anywhere on earth but out there on Court 18. Still, he took it well and as the crowd gave him the loudest cheer of all, he finally spoke. "At this moment, it's really painful," he said. "But it was amazing to play these three days. We played the greatest tennis match ever at the greatest place to play tennis."
"It stinks that someone has to lose," Isner said. "To share this day with him is a real honour. I can only wish him the very best and that hope that we'll meet down the road sometime. But hopefully it won't go to 70-68."
That was when the man from the Beeb reminded Isner that he was due on court for doubles on half an hour. "That's kind of a mean joke, right there," Isner said. "We'll go back to the locker room and we'll see what happens." By the sounds of it, his partner, Sam Querrey, might be somewhat underemployed in the doubles this week.
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http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/articles/2010-06-24/201006241277400739521.html
