In the 2025 French Open final, the No. 2 men’s player in the world Carlos Alcaraz beat world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in epic fashion, coming from two sets down to win in 5 hours and 29 minutes.
That time set the record for the longest French Open final in history, besting the 1982 final by 47 minutes.
Would you believe that those same two men played the third-longest match in US Open history in 2022, when Alcaraz again defeated Sinner in 5 hours and 15 minutes to advance out of the quarterfinals?
But this most recent marathon match was far from the longest in Grand Slam history, let alone the French Open. And it’s only the second-longest Grand Slam final in the Open Era.
Five Grand Slam matches have lasted at least six hours, with the longest—a Wimbledon first-round faceoff between American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut—going over 11 hours. It took three days to complete, with the final score of the fifth set looking like a college basketball score: 70–68 to Isner.
Eight years later, Isner would play in the second-longest Grand Slam match of all time, this time in the Wimbledon semifinals. This time, the score of the final set was more modest—a football score, say, with Isner going down to South African Kevin Anderson 26–24.
But while Isner had a fine career, he never won a Grand Slam final, which is where the real drama comes in.
The 2012 Australian Open final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal is the longest Grand Slam final ever, with Djokovic eking out a victory in 5 hours and 53 minutes. A decade later, Nadal was involved in the third-longest Grand Slam final in history, this time defeating Daniil Medvedev in 5 hours and 24 minutes.
If it feels like tennis matches have gotten longer than they used to be, you’re not wrong.
After men’s Grand Slams settled on a best-of-five format in the late 1970s, matches became longer by definition. In the 21st century, match times increased on their own, partly due to increased athleticism—better athletes meant more shots returned. The average men’s grand slam match in 2023 shot up to 2 hours and 54 minutes, compared to 2 hours and 21 minutes in 1999, according to The Athletic.
Ranking the Longest Grand Slam Matches Ever
Here is the list of the longest Grand Slam tennis matches in history, with data compiled from NBC Sports, ESPN, and the US Open.
Longest Grand Slam Matches:
2010 Wimbledon (1st round): 11 hours, 5 minutes / John Isner def. Nicolas Mahut
2018 Wimbledon (SF): 6 hours, 36 minutes / Kevin Anderson def. John Isner
2004 French Open (1st round): 6 hours, 33 minutes / Fabrice Santoro def. Arnaud Clement
Longest Grand Slam Finals:
2012 Australian Open: 5 hours, 53 minutes / Novak Djokovic def. Rafael Nadal
2025 French Open: 5 hours, 29 minutes / Carlos Alcaraz def. Jannik Sinner
2022 Australian Open: 5 hours, 24 minutes / Rafael Nadal def. Daniil Medvedev
Longest Wimbledon Match:
2010 (1st round): 11 hours, 5 minutes / John Isner def. Nicolas Mahut
Longest French Open Match:
2004 (1st round): 6 hours, 33 minutes / Fabrice Santoro def. Arnaud Clement
Longest Australian Open Match:
2012 (final): 5 hours, 53 minutes / Novak Djokovic def. Rafael Nadal
Longest US Open Match:
2023 (1st round): 5 hours, 35 minutes / Daniel Evans def. Karen Khachanov
