The longest match in history

When John Isner and Nicholas Mahut walked out on Wimbledon's Court 18 for their first round match of the 2010 Championships, they probably thought they would play a regular match, shake hands and remain strangers to each other as they have been before.

The encounter turned out to be something very different - an incredible match of inconceivably epic proportions. 2 days, 5 sets, two tie-breaks and 183 games after it started, Isner stood as winner by an astounding 70 games to 68 in the final set.

It was the longest game ever played in the history of tennis, and most likely, no other match will ever even get close to it. It has made the two players famous overnight, and they will probably remain close friends forever, bound together by this incredible memory.

Noone could probably come up with any better advertising for tennis than this match. It managed to steal the headlines from the ongoing soccer World Cup and even took most of the attention from the Queen's visit to the grounds the same day.

To quote the slogan of one of the leading sport outfit brands, the two warriors proved to the world that "impossible is nothing". This was indeed a heroic battle until the last drop of energy was consumed, with both players showing incredible playing skills, concentration, mental strength, courage and strong will.

As they headed deeper and deeper into the epic fifth set, the level of play remarkably did not drop but was kept at nearly the same high level throughout every game. It was totally out of this world, difficult to grasp, but it somehow was meant to happen, here and now.

Unfortunately, as always, one of the contenders had to lose at the end, and it was also more or less evident that the "winner" of this tennis extravaganza could not stand a chance against his next round opponent, all mental and physical energies having been sacrificed. I think we can all sigh in relief that the two players withstood the enormous physical and mental strain and no serious health issues came up.

I would also like to hail the chair umpire, Mohamed Lahyani, whose performance must be classed just as outstanding as that of the players. To sit in an uncomfortable umpire chair for 7-8 hours without losing focus and concentration and keeping a positive approach is a remarkable feat in itself.

The question now is if, considering the outcome and possible health hazards of this amazing encounter, the rules should remain unchanged, allowing any fifth set at Wimbledon to continue into such an endless struggle.

Many experts say that after this match, there should be a line drawn somewhere, not to jeopardise the players' health in any way. This could mean the introduction of a tie-break after appr. 20-all in games in the fifth set.

I would say that such a notion is sensible and would not mean an unfair ending to these kind of marathon matches. Any match with such a character should be brought to an end for the sake of the players, the umpire and the spectators.

However, considering the conservative approach and the rock solid traditions at SW19, I somehow doubt that we will ever witness such a change. As described in Rudyard Kipling's famous "If" poem, Wimbledon is all about noble, extraordinary efforts and this is what the audience craves and cherishes.

In any way, this remarkable match will always be remembered as one of the classic encounters in the history of the game.