Longest. Match. Ever.

At 59-59, in their fifth set of the first round match at Wimbledon, Isner and Mahut have been at it for 10 hours over the past 2 days. Play has been suspended for a second day due to the fading sunlight. They have both beaten the previous record for most aces in a match, 78, with almost 100 each.

One of the many reasons I love tennis so much is the fact that a match is never over until the last point has been completed. This is the case even if a tie-breaker is played, since you have to win by two points. Even on match point, down 0-6, 0-6, 0-5, Love-40, the match is not over.

These guys are showing incredible (preternatural?) mental and physical fitness. I only hope that the ending is not anti-climactic. Whoever wins is lucky that the match is delayed once again, since he will have a little more recovery time before the following one. I can't imagine one's body performing well after such wear and tear.

In any case, you may watch practically any important sporting event on ESPN3.com these days. Play resumes tomorrow at some point. I can't watch anymore. Let me know how it ends.

Guess Who's Back...

Sneaker/tennis fans the world over are peeing in their pants at the sight of the throwback Nike Air Zoom Tennis Trainer, available at tennis-warehouse.com

Tennis on Grass

This is a wonderfully written article in Britain's Daily Telegraph about why tennis is so awesome -

Wimbledon Final: How We Fell in Love with a Beautiful Game

Federer and Nadal are such class acts. I read recently that Nadal had to drop out of the following tournament in which he was expected to play, so he flew to the tournament director to personally apologize for having to sit it out with an injury.

You don't see much of that character in hockey, where cheating and fighting (often among parents at their kids' games) are considered part of the fabric of the sport. In baseball, pitchers often throw pitches at batters heads. You get the idea.

Tennis, anyone?