Wimbledon Ends Marathon Match Madness

The John Isner-Nicolas Mahut epic will stand the test of time as the longest Wimbledon match.The All England Club announced the introduction of a tiebreak in the deciding set when the score is deadlocked at 12-12.Watch: Roger vs. SerenaThe new rule, which applies to men’s and ladies’ singles and doubles matches, takes effect at the 2019 Wimbledon.That means the 2010 marathon match that saw Isner and Mahut battle from here to eternity until the former Georgia Bulldog finally prevailed 70-68 in the fifth set will remain the longest in Wimbledon history.

AELTC announces introduction of final set tie-break for The Championships 2019: https://t.co/r0uPDEABn5 #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/PHsgliAwTF
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) October 19, 2018

“While we know the instances of matches extending deep into the final set are rare,” All England Club chairman Philip Brook said, “we feel that a tie-break at 12-12 strikes an equitable balance between allowing players ample opportunity to complete the match to advantage, while also providing certainty that the match will reach a conclusion in an acceptable timeframe.“As a next step, we look forward to sharing further details with our Grand Slam, ITF, WTA and ATP colleagues when we meet in Singapore.”

Wimbledon joins the US Open, which features a tiebreak when the score is deadlocked at 6-6 in the final set, as the second major to implement a final-set tiebreak.The Australian Open and Roland Garros do not yet have a deciding-set tiebreak, however there is speculation either or both majors could adopt a deciding-set tiebreak.]]>