UGA grad uses ‘favorite shot' to win Wimbledon marathon

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

UGA tennis coach Manny Diaz felt confident about John Isner's chances to win the longest Grand Slam singles match ever played after they talked by phone Thursday morning.

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Suzanne Plunkett, AP Isner fell to the ground in relief after hitting a backhand winner to end the final set, which lasted more than eight hours. The final tally: 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6,70-68.

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"He was in great spirits," Diaz said.

And when he watched the former Bulldog star, in the 980th point of the match, set up for a backhand down the line, Diaz knew the epic contest was finally at its end.

"That's his favorite shot," Diaz told the AJC Thursday. "I knew he was going to make it work."

The final tally: 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6,70-68.

Like all who watched the 11-hour, five-minute marathon, Diaz was at a loss to come up with the proper superlatives. Every adjective was doomed to be an understatement.

Isner's opponent, qualifier Nicolas Mahut, summed it up best: "We played the greatest match ever."

It resumed Thursday tied at 59 games apiece in the final set. Diaz's biggest concern was the first game, with Isner serving. "Both players were so tired. I was worried about him playing a loose point, opening the door for a break," he said.

But neither player's serve proved easy to break. Each topped 100 aces (112 for Isner, 103 for Mahut), easily breaking the sport's previous high of 78 -- one of many records broken Thursday.

"I think the exposure generated by this match will be great for tennis," Diaz said. With the U.S. soccer team advancing in the World Cup, tennis' signature tournament was receiving scant attention stateside. It should provide a boost for Isner as well. The 6-foot-9 Greensboro, N.C. native has been steadily climbing the sport's rankings and is motivated to crack the top 10, Diaz said.

But advancing farther at this year's Wimbledon is going to be a challenge. "He's going to be at a tremendous disadvantage," Diaz said. "He's got so many miles on him already. But I never count John out."

After the match Isner acknowledged the obvious. "A little bit tired," he said, flashing a sly grin when asked how he felt after the match's conclusion.

Of his French counterpart, Isner said "the guy is an absolute warrior. It stinks someone had to lose. To be able to share this day with him was an absolute honor."

"John deserved to win," Mahut said. "His serve was unbelievable."

It was Isner's first victory at Wimbledon. He was scheduled to play doubles Thursday afternoon. Expect a forfeit.

"That's kind of a mean joke," he said. "I don't even want to think about that."

Looking surprisingly spry for a man who played the equivalent of three matches the day before, Isner and Mahut, battling an abdominal strain, held serve without much challenge through the first 18 games Thursday morning.

That kept the match moving at a brisk pace, though the outcome seemed forever stuck in neutral.

Play was suspended by Wimbledon officials at 9:10 p.m. Wednesday due to darkness. There are no tie-breakers in the final set of tennis' signature tournament.

The drama drew an overflow crowd on cozy Court 18, and others players watched the telecast in fascination.

"I have almost no words anymore watching this," said Roger Federer, who advanced to the third round by beating qualifier Ilija Bozoljac. "It's beyond anything I've ever seen and could imagine. I don't know how their bodies must feel the next day, the next week, the next month. This is incredible tennis. For them to serve the aces they served and stay there mentally is a heroic effort.

"As we know, we have no draws in tennis, so there will be a loser. But I guess in this match, both will be winners because this is just absolutely amazing."

The match easily surpassed the previous record time of six hours and 33 minutes set at the 2004 French Open, when Fabrice Santoro beat fellow Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 16-14.

The previous record for the longest match at Wimbledon was six hours and nine minutes, set in the 2006 men's doubles quarterfinals.

--The Associated Press contributed to this report.