Which match at Wimbledon was among the longest in tennis history?
Australian Todd Perry has come out on the losing end in the longest match in Wimbledon history on Thursday. Perry and his doubles partner Simon Aspelin of Sweden lost 5-7 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 23-21 to experienced pair Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor in their quarter-final. At six hours and seven minutes, it shattered the record for the longest match since the tournament began in 1877. The longest previous match at Wimbledon was Greg Holmes’ 5-7 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 14-12 victory over Todd Witsken in 5:28 in the second round of singles in 1989 – a match spread over three days. Thursday’s doubles match began on Wednesday at about 4.30pm, was called off for light at 11-11 in the fifth set, and could all have been over in a jiffy, but as it turned out they played on for another 23 games on Thursday. The match also equalled the record for the longest by games played since the tiebreaker was introduced at 87, now sharing that mark with another doubles quarter-final in 1985. Sources:
Australian Todd Perry has come out on the losing end in the longest match in Wimbledon history on Thursday. Perry and his doubles partner Simon Aspelin of Sweden lost 5-7 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 23-21 to experienced pair Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor in their quarter-final. At six hours and seven minutes, it shattered the record for the longest match since the tournament began in 1877. The longest previous match at Wimbledon was Greg Holmes’ 5-7 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 14-12 victory over Todd Witsken in 5:28 in the second round of singles in 1989 – a match spread over three days. Thursday’s doubles match began on Wednesday at about 4.30pm, was called off for light at 11-11 in the fifth set, and could all have been over in a jiffy, but as it turned out they played on for another 23 games on Thursday. The match also equalled the record for the longest by games played since the tiebreaker was introduced at 87, now sharing that mark with another doubles quarter-final in 1985.
Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick in the longest Wimbledon final in history. The marathon 30-game fifth set was also the longest in Wimbledon history. The win was a historic win for the 27-year-old Federer: he won his sixth Wimbledon title and a record 15th Grand Slam title, making him arguably the most successful tennis player in Grand Slam history. Federer also takes home 850,000 pounds in 2009 Wimbledon prize money. Federer won in five sets, 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 16-14. With the win, Federer reclaims his world #1 ranking, overtaking the injured Rafael Nadal. Federer got the win despite an epic effort from Andy Roddick, who played arguably one of the best matches of his life. The American dominated on the serve. It wasn’t until the final match of the four-hour plus marathon that Federer managed to break Roddick’s serve. Roddick’s dominance on the service is seen as a return to form. Roddick once recorded the fastest serve on record: a blistering 155 miles per hour.
