Wimbledon 2010

[Captain Seafort]

We've got one for the football, here's one for the tennis.

The first round match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut is utterly mindboggling - 2 sets all, 40 games all in the fifth, with no signs of it ending any time soon. Isner has hit 83 aces.

[Havok]

I was watching this after the US Algeria match... dude... I had no idea tennis matches could go this long. they were saying that it only has like, one time record left to beat.

[Captain Seafort]

I had no idea tennis matches could go this long.

Neither did John McEnroe apparently.

they were saying that it only has like, one time record left to beat.

There's still a record it hasn't taken? Which one's that?

[Havok]

I can't remember now.

[aerius]

My god, it's still going! 59-58 on serve, it's been going for nearly 10 hours now.

Make that 59 all.

[Captain Seafort]

My god, it's still going! 59-58 on serve, it's been going for nearly 10 hours now.

This one set is already longer than any other complete singles match, in terms of time or games. Isner's closing in on his century. And Mahout's just come back from Match Point down. 59-59

EDIT: And with that bad light stops play.

[Havok]

Wow. A three day tennis match. Awesome.

[Captain Seafort]

Wow. A three day tennis match. Awesome.

Three days so far. They should give the players lunch and tea intervals and rename the games "overs".

[Crazedwraith]

I can't help but feel Mahot, the plucky underdog isn't going to manage this tomorrow. I think his big chance was wearing Isner down but when they both turn up tomorrow fresh faced. Well fresher anyway, Mahot's going to have trouble denting Isner's serve. Even today he wasn't making as much progress as Isner.

Couple that with Isner already having the advantage serving first. (If he breaks he wins, Mahot has to break and hold his serve afterwards.) Yeah, I like Mahot but he's probably not going through.

Does the winner have to go straight into his next match tomorrow? Because that's going to be harsh. Whoever wins, isn't getting through round 2.

[Captain Seafort]

I can't help but feel Mahot, the plucky underdog isn't going to manage this tomorrow. I think his big chance was wearing Isner down but when they both turn up tomorrow fresh faced. Well fresher anyway, Mahot's going to have trouble denting Isner's serve. Even today he wasn't making as much progress as Isner.

I doubt either of them will be particularly fresh, but if anything Mahot will still have the advantage when they resume - Isner looked like he was asleep on his feet by the end and was relying on his serve to get him out of trouble, while Mahot was still moving around the court pretty freely.

Does the winner have to go straight into his next match tomorrow?

No, which was probably one of the reasons Mahot wanted to call it quits tonight. If the match had ended tonight the winner would have had to play his second round match tomorrow, but since they've gone into a third day the second round match won't start until Friday. I agree that it would be astonishing if the winner got through the second round though - the other bloke will have had a couple of days rest, and only had to play a measly 30 games in his fifth round.

[CmdrWilkens]

They had a graphic up at the end of the US telecast, the match set the record for longest (by time) at 5:45 pm locally and was still being played at 9:06. They've beaten the record books to death with this match and both of them have just been going nuts at all the right times though Isner needs to step it up more critically, he's already had 4 match points.

I thought last year's epic between Roddick and Federer couldn't be matched...and in terms of talent it hasn't been. That match was just draw dropping gorgeous and heart rending to watch. This one though, this one may take the cake for most raw guts and determination.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Since I don't know anything about tennis, can someone explain to me how its possible for a match to go this long?

[Steel]

The fifth set continues until a player has won at least 6 games and is 2 games ahead. If the players keep winning one game each then there is no mechanism by which the match ends (except of course injury or death...).

Any other set will go to a tie break game after 6 games all, so is massively less likely to go on forever.

[Gaidin]

Isner just won it 70-68 with the official play time at 11 hours and 5 minutes. Both players and the ref got awards and pictures were taken with them at the scoreboard.

[Captain Seafort]

Epic? Extraordinary? Incredible? Words don't seem sufficient to describe that match.

And there's yet more drama brewing - Nadal's 2 sets 1 down against Robin Haase.

[Mlenk]

I predict that this is the year Federer will not make it to the finals at Wimbledon for the first time since 2003. He is slowly declining and I think this is the year when it all starts, as evidenced by him being knocked out at the Quarterfinal stage at the French Open.

[aerius]

Live blogger loses his marbles covering the match

http://deadspin.com/5571437/wimbledon-l ... nd-madness

9.25pm: Last thoughts before I ring me a hearse. That was beyond tennis. I think it was even beyond survival, because there is a strong suggestion (soon to be confirmed by doctors) that John Isner actually expired at about the 20-20 mark, and Mahut went soon afterwards, and the remainder of the match was contested by Undead Zombies who ate the spectators during the change of ends (again, this is pending a police investigation).

Still, if you're going to watch a pair of zombies go at each other for eleventy-billion hours, far into the night, it might as well be these zombies.

[septesix]

And just like that , Isner is out. But this Wimbledon is already defined by this match though, unless we see another great epic in the final with Federer and Nadal..

[CmdrWilkens]

And just like that , Isner is out. But this Wimbledon is already defined by this match though, unless we see another great epic in the final with Federer and Nadal..

Honestly the Roddick-Federer finale last year was more epic, more heartbreaking, more impactful, and just plain ol' MORE than any of the Nadal-Federer matches...anyway now I'm left trying to figure out a way to see the Henin-Clijster's match since I always enjoyed Henin's playstyle and prefer her as an alternative to the Williams sisters.

[aerius]

...anyway now I'm left trying to figure out a way to see the Henin-Clijster's match since I always enjoyed Henin's playstyle and prefer her as an alternative to the Williams sisters.

That's for sure, I find the "power tennis" style of the Williams sisters, Sharapova and a lot of the current top women to be pretty boring. One of my favourite matches was when Martina Hingis clowned one of the Williams sisters at the US Open back in the late 90's, Hingis dangled her all over the court with drop shots, off speed hits, and even a moon ball or two, then pretended to take a swipe at a ball that Williams had hit that was out. It was beautiful.

Henin-Clijster will likely be the match of the tournament on the womens' side. Definitely looking forward to it.

[Crazedwraith]

I predict that this is the year Federer will not make it to the finals at Wimbledon for the first time since 2003. He is slowly declining and I think this is the year when it all starts, as evidenced by him being knocked out at the Quarterfinal stage at the French Open.

And your prediction would be right. Federer just got knocked out in the quater finales.