Nicolas Mahut (r.) asks umpire to suspend play as a
weary John Isner (l.) appears to agonize over the decision
(photo courtesy of The Telegraph of London)
At 9:11 PM London time, the umpire of the longest match in tennis history suspended play--so this unbelievable war of the wills enters its third day--just two minutes short of 10 hours. The match is tied at 59 -59 in the fifth set.
About 45 years ago, I thought I was watching tennis history at the US Open in Forest Hills when I saw an aging graceful Pancho Gonzales pull out a 5 hour plus fifth setter with a 31-29 win over his opponent. What an inspiring match to watch in person.
Tennis has now entered a slipstream of its own with a match that won't end. Both players are playing in a rarified level that only playing on immaculately groomed grass, great training, dedication and inbred sportsmanship can inspire.
Thanks to ESPNU, a network dedicated to College sports, we, here in America, were able to get continuing coverage until well past 5PM on the East coast.
We look forward to play resumption on Thursday, June 24th.
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