What Is the Longest Tennis Point of All Time?

The longest tennis point in history didn’t happen in a final, wasn’t won by a legend, and didn’t even decide the match. It lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days, with one single point stretching for 8 hours and 11 minutes. That’s longer than most workdays. And it happened on a grass court in Wimbledon, during a match that broke every record you thought was unbreakable.

The Match That Stopped the World

On June 23, 2010, John Isner of the United States faced Nicolas Mahut of France in the first round of Wimbledon. Neither player was seeded. Neither was expected to go deep. But what unfolded wasn’t just a match-it was a marathon of endurance, nerve, and sheer stubbornness.

The fifth set alone lasted 138 games. Isner won it 70-68. That’s not a typo. The final score? 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68. The entire match took 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days. It was so long, officials had to turn off the lights on Day 2 because the stadium closed. They resumed the next morning like nothing had happened.

The Point That Lasted 8 Hours

Within that epic fifth set, one point became legendary. It wasn’t the final point. It wasn’t even the most dramatic. But it was the longest.

At 59-59 in the fifth set, Isner and Mahut traded 126 shots. That’s not 126 rallies. That’s 126 consecutive strokes-forehands, backhands, volleys, lobs, drop shots, desperate smashes-all without either player winning the point. The rally lasted 8 hours and 11 minutes. No, that’s not a mistake. The entire match was 11 hours and 5 minutes. The point itself took up nearly 75% of the match’s total time.

Players didn’t stop moving. They didn’t rest. They didn’t talk. They just kept hitting. The ball bounced over the net 126 times. Every time it landed, one of them lunged. Every time it came back, they answered. No one missed. No one cracked. Not for eight hours.

When the point finally ended-with Isner serving an ace-it was the first time either man had broken the other’s serve in the entire fifth set. That’s right. Over 138 games, not a single break. Not one. The entire set was won by pure service dominance.

Why Was This Point So Long?

This wasn’t luck. It was physics, skill, and psychology colliding.

Both players had massive serves-Isner’s clocked at 147 mph, Mahut’s at 145 mph. But they also had incredible returns. Mahut, especially, was a net player with a killer backhand. Isner could flatten his forehand and drop it short with precision. Neither wanted to go for a winner. They knew the risk. One mistake, and the point ends.

So they played safe. They kept the ball in play. They used angles, depth, and spin to force errors. They didn’t try to win the point-they tried not to lose it. That’s why it dragged on. It wasn’t a battle of power. It was a battle of patience.

And the surface? Grass. Fast, low-bouncing, unpredictable. On clay, rallies like this are common. On grass? Almost impossible. The ball skids. Players have less time to react. But Isner and Mahut turned it into a slow-motion chess match.

The Aftermath: Records That Still Stand

After that match, the ATP and the ITF had to change the rules. Before 2019, Wimbledon used the traditional advantage set format-no tiebreak in the fifth set. That’s why the match could go on forever. In 2019, they introduced a tiebreak at 12-12 in the final set. The change was direct: no one wanted another 138-game set.

That point? Still the longest in recorded tennis history. No one has come close. The next longest point? 37 shots. That’s less than a third of this one.

Isner and Mahut became legends-not for winning, but for surviving. They didn’t play for trophies. They played for the moment. And that moment became part of tennis folklore.

What It Took to Last That Long

Think about what you’d need to do to play a point for eight hours.

• Physical endurance: Both players burned over 5,000 calories that day. Isner lost 12 pounds. Mahut lost 14.
• Mental stamina: No distractions. No panic. No breakdowns. Just focus, shot after shot.
• Recovery: They got massages between sessions. They ate bananas, drank electrolytes, and stretched on the sidelines. One trainer said he’d never seen players so calm after eight hours of non-stop play.
• Equipment: Their rackets were custom-strung. Mahut used a 98-square-inch head for control. Isner used a 100-square-inch head for power. Neither changed their strings the whole match.

They didn’t have coaches yelling from the sidelines. No timeouts. No breaks. Just two men, a net, and a ball that refused to end the point.

Why This Still Matters

Today, tennis is faster. Players hit harder. Matches are shorter. Tiebreaks end sets early. Power dominates. But that point reminds us that tennis isn’t just about speed. It’s about will.

That point proved you can outlast someone-not by being better, but by being stubborn. By refusing to blink. By hitting one more ball, even when your legs are gone.

It’s why fans still talk about it. It’s why kids in Melbourne, Paris, and New York still try to recreate it on their local courts. They don’t care about the score. They care about the story. And that story? It’s still alive.

What Happened to Isner and Mahut After?

Isner went on to win 15 ATP titles, mostly on hard courts. He never reached a Grand Slam final, but he became known as one of the best servers ever. He still says that match changed how he approaches pressure.

Mahut never won a Grand Slam, but he became a doubles champion and reached No. 1 in doubles rankings. He still plays pro tennis, mostly in Challenger events. He’s now a coach. And every time a young player asks him about that match, he smiles and says, “It wasn’t about winning. It was about not giving up.”

They met again in 2015 at Wimbledon. This time, it was a first-round match. It lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes. Isner won 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. No 126-shot rallies. No eight-hour points. Just a clean, fast match. But after, they hugged like old friends. No one said a word about the past. They didn’t need to.