The Games That Would Never Die

Ah don't you love Grand Slam men's tennis.. Those long days and nights watching men hit a yellow ball and waiting to see who will crack first.. Grand Slams have a knack of becoming marathons for players and spectators and modern Grand Slam tennis has seen quite a few record-breakers in recent times.

Could that be down to the superb quality of the men's field at the moment - and we're not even counting the big 4.

After all, when the first set of the Australian Open men's final lasted as long as the entire women's final, that says something about how incredible men's tennis has become in recent times.

On a side note, it's quite incredulous that the men are paid the same as the women in terms of prize money even though the men have played for nearly 5 more hours than the women in the Final - and just to put it out there, I love Vika as much as Tim Tebow as I think she is quite hot.

But heck, the game isn't about the money. It's about the game especially when the bloody thing can't seem to end.

So here are 3 of the greatest "timeless" tennis matches ever..


2008 Wimbledon Final - Roger Federer v Rafael Nadal
Until this year's Australian Open, this was the longest Grand Slam final in history and probably the most surreal. Let's not forget, the canvas roof at Centre Court only came up in 2009 so this was still played under Britain's cloudy summer skies and the last to be affected by rain. A rain delay meant this game was played under fading light at 9:15pm local time. It'll probably be hailed as the greatest tennis match ever played and certainly the defining match of the Nadal-Federer rivalry.


2010 Wimbledon 1st round - John Isner v Nicholas Mahut

11 hours and 5 minutes. Enough said. Ok, I will say a bit more about the "timeless" game which needed three days to complete and is (hopefully) a bit of an anomaly in this era of instant noodles and ultra-fast broadband. It didn't really matter that John Isner prevailed 70-68 in the 5th and deciding set - Nicholas Mahut played an equally important role in this match which captivated even those who don't follow tennis. Deservedly, a plaque was erected the following year at Wimbledon's Court 18 to commemorate the longest tennis match ever played - and one whose record should stand for eternity really.

2012 Australian Open Final - Novak Djokovic v Rafael Nadal
Possibly a strong contender to usurp the Nadal v Federer final in 2008 as the greatest tennis final ever played. 5 hours 53 minutes of breathless tennis that dragged on into Monday morning - and I don't think it's a public holiday on Monday in Melbourne or the rest of Australia either so there will be a lot of weary eyed people across the West Island this morning. But it was probably worth it as tennis again brought out the best of two of its greatest players. Perhaps, this might be the game that confirms the Serbian Djoker's place amongst the game's legends if it hadn't been already.