John Isner v Nicolas Mahut playing the Longest Tennis Match ever
At the moment, the longest match ever in tennis history is going on. This epic Wimbledon first round match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, has been going on for three days and there is no end in sight. The strain and physical exhaustion that can be seen on both these players is evident, yet still they continue. It takes an incredible amount of physical stamina and mental determination to achieve a goal as great as this and be able to last for this long is unbelievable.
The match is currently in its fifth set tied at 59 games apiece. This epic battle has gone on for ten hours and has broken every record possible for a match in tennis history. It currently holds the record for the longest tennis match ever, the highest number of games in a tennis match, the most games in one set and the most aces in a match. The question on all the spectators and fans lips is; how can these two men still be at it after so long.
Playing a tennis match for a normal human being is difficult enough because of the extreme amounts of physical energy exerted to take part in one. The professional tennis match takes this up a few notches and the task becomes even more gruelling. At the really experienced level, the Wimbledon level, the amount of energy and stamina needed just to play a single match of tennis becomes really intense. So if one takes a moment and thinks about this for a minute; imagine two tennis players playing a difficult match to begin with, both very physically fit with loads of stamina in tow and then they play for ten hours. So on top of all the physical exertion that comes with playing a normal match of tennis, amplify that by a factor of ten and you will be somewhere close to the intensity and energy that is being witnessed during this battle. How the two men are still standing let alone playing and smashing aces is beyond the scope of reason. Moreover the match is not over yet, it will be continued today to see who will eventually be crowned the winner.
There have been many great and extremely long encounters in many sports; sports such as baseball, basketball and American football just to name a few. The longest game in baseball lasted for a little over 8 hours when the White Sox took on the Brewers in 1984. The White Sox eventually won this gruelling game 7-6. The longest game in basketball took place in 1951 and was a very long contest between the Indianapolis Olympians and the Rochester Royals. The Olympians won the game after 6 overtimes which lasted 3 hours. The tennis match which is still going on eclipses both of these games by a good few hours. A sporting match can potentially go on for as long as it needs to until one athlete or team eventually gives up and concedes defeat.
The mental abilities of the two players will come into play in this tennis match. When two athletes are evenly matched, as Isner and Mahut so clearly are, it will come down to the fact of who has more mental fortitude and strength of character. After 59 games each in the fifth set it seems these two might even be matched in that regard. Mental skill of an athlete comes into play in those situations when a match has been going on for a very long time and having the mental strength over another can turn the match in the favour of the mentally stronger athlete. At times it looked like Mahut had more mental strength than Isner, but then out of nowhere Isner would rally back and hold his serve and win points. This match seems like it will go down in history as the greatest tennis match ever.
The longer a sporting contest goes on, the more an athlete's mental abilities come to be noticed. At times of unbelievable pressure and stress, the one who wants to win more will find a way to come out on top. A reason why tennis is such a great sport is because of matches like the one currently going on and on track to never end. People can take a good lesson in how to defeat the odds and overcome adversity in their own lives by watching this tennis match and applying the principles of sticking it out in the face of intense pressure to come out the victor.
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