Longest Matches in Wimbledon History: Every Record-Breaking Marathon

Wimbledon's tradition of no final-set tiebreaks (until 2019) produced some of the longest matches in tennis history. The Isner-Mahut marathon of 2010 — lasting 11 hours and 5 minutes — remains the longest professional tennis match ever played. This guide ranks every record-breaking Wimbledon marathon.

The 2010 first-round match between Isner and Mahut spanned three days due to darkness suspensions. The final set alone lasted 8 hours and 11 minutes, with 168 games played. Isner served 113 aces, Mahut 103. The match shattered 10 ATP records simultaneously and led to Wimbledon eventually introducing a final-set tiebreak at 12-12 in 2019.

The 2019 final between Djokovic and Federer was the first Wimbledon final decided by the new tiebreak rule. Federer held two championship points on his own serve at 8-7 in the fifth set but failed to convert. Djokovic won the decisive tiebreak 7-3, in what many consider the greatest Wimbledon final of the modern era.

The extreme duration of the Isner-Mahut match and the 2018 Anderson-Isner semi-final directly led to Wimbledon introducing a final-set tiebreak at 12-12 in 2019. This rule change ensures matches cannot extend indefinitely while preserving the drama of long fifth sets. Other Grand Slams adopted similar measures, with the Australian Open introducing a first-to-10-point tiebreak at 6-6.