Isner Wins Epic Match 70-68 in the 5th.

Congrats to John Isner for winning the most epic match in the history of tennis.

Players took the court today for the 3rd straight day after having battled for 10 hours. The score was 59 all when they arrived again on Court 18.

After more than an hour of battle, John Isner finally put an end to the marathon with a backhand passing shot winner.

70-68. Do the scores of the other sets even matter?

112 aces for Isner in the match. 11 Hours and 5 minutes on court. 138 games in the 5th set.

This match will never be touched again...ever.

Congrats also to Nicolas Mahut whose name will be forever etched in the history books. He showed he may be the fittest guy in the game of tennis.

Thanks to both of them for giving me, and every tennis fan a match they will remember forever.

Wimbledon moves back into reality tomorrow as action continues with Federer, Venus, Roddick, and Novak all in action.

Check Tiebreak's Twitter for live commentary throughout the day.

TT

59 All

Hi everyone,

I hope you all got a chance to witness history today.

John Isner and Nicolas Mahut are locked at 59 All in the 5th set. No, that is not a typo. 59 all.

The match was suspended due to darkness at 0-0 in the 5th set yesterday and after 7 hours and 6 minutes of play today...play was suspended again.

They will resume play tomorrow as they are 3rd match on Court 18.

The match is already the longest match in tennis history at 10 hours.

Check out a special podcast episode with my reaction to the match.

The podcast is available on the top of the blog, the podcast SITE, and on iTunes.

Keep checking Tiebreak Tennis for all your Wimbledon 2010 info!

TT

Tiebreak Tennis: Wimbledon

Hi everyone!

The 3rd Slam of the season is here.

Wimbledon, the most historic of the Slams, starts tomorrow (June 21st).

Stay posted on all scores, stories, commentary, and much more with Tiebreak Tennis.

Tiebreak's Twitter- Live scoring and commentary.

The Blog- Stories of the tournament.

The Tiebreak Tennis Podcast- everything you need for Wimbledon 2010.

Check out a brand new episode of the Podcast where I preview Wimbledon 2010. It is available on the top of the blog, on the podcast SITE, and on iTunes!

Don't forget to subscribe!

TT

New Podcast!

Hi everyone,

Brand new Podcast is up!

Check it out as I recap the entire 2010 French Open.

Podcast is available on the top of the blog...the podcast SITE...and on iTunes!

Don't forget to subscribe...

All new Wimbledon Preview show coming this weekend.

Thanks,

TT

The King

Congrats to Rafa Nadal for winning his 5th French Open!

Rafa now has won 5 French Opens, 7 Grand Slams total, and is World No. 1 again.

Nadal dismantled Soderling 64, 6-2, 6-4.

Thanks for checking out Tiebreak Tennis during this French Open!

Full French Open recap episode of the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast coming soon!

Wimbledon is right around the corner...

Tiebreak Tennis Podcast: Men's Final Preview

Hey everyone,

Brand new episode of the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast!

Check it out as I preview the men's final.

Rafa looks to regain his No. 1 ranking and Roland Garros crown against the only player ever to beat him at the French Open, Robin Soderling.

The Podcast is available on the top of the blog, the Podcast SITE, and on iTunes.

Check out Tiebreak's Twitter for live commentary and scoring during the men's final.

Also...

Congrats to Francesca Schiavone for winning the 2010 French Open!

Amazing effort from her to beat Sammy Stosur in straight sets. With her incredible run, she brings Italy home a Grand Slam title. Much more on that match on the Roland Garros Recap Podcast coming soon!

Take care!

2010 Roland Garros Semis

The women's final is set in Paris.

Francesca Schiavone from Italy VS Samantha Stosur of Australia.

I'd like to meet whoever had that match-up before the draw came out.

Stosur took the hard road to the finals, beating Henin and Serena back to back in 3 set wars. Her semifinal match was much less complicated as she breezed through Jelena Jankovic 1 and 2. Good to see an Aussie making noise in women's tennis.

Schiavone, the hard working Italian, battled her way to the semis and then got handed a trip to the finals. Elena Dementieva, perhaps the best woman ever to not win a Slam, retired after she lost the first set in a tiebreak. Apparently, she tore a calf muscle in her 3rd round match, and just couldn't play through the pain in the semifinals.

Now, I am not going to bash Elena for retiring...but I am going to bash her for how she handled it.

How does she retire without even calling the trainer to the court? Her response: Something along the lines of that she has seen the trainer too many times and knew there was nothing else she could do.

Give me a break.

On one of the biggest stages in the game, you better call out the trainer. If she had a serious injury and felt she could not continue, I completely understand and she made the right decision.

She owed it to the fans and especially Schiavone to at least sit through an injury time-out. Elena, maybe you know that the trainer can't do anything...but why not call him out, take treatment, play a point and then call it quits.

This had a bit too much Henin in it for me. Of course we remember Henin retiring in the FINALS of a Slam to Mauresmo, yet was OK enough to stay for the trophy presentation and press conference after the match. That was one of the all-time heartless moves in sport history.

Again, I don't judge injuries and if players choose they can continue or not. All I judge is how it's handled, and when your in a Slam Semi or Final, you owe it to your opponent and the fans to over exaggerate how hard your trying to stay on the court.

No one wants to retire.

If you want to know how to handle it, watch the Rafa/Murray match from Australia. Rafa called the trainer, he looked devastated, and called it quits. No one questioned how he handled it.

I like Elena, and believe she was in a tremendous amount of pain out there.

Call the trainer, take an injury time-out, and then call it quits. If it's still too bad to continue...No mas. No one will say a word.

Tomorrow we have Soderling/Berdych and Rafa/Melzer...should be good.

Predictions:

Soderling DEF Berdych in 4 sets.

Rafa DEF Melzer in 3 sets.

Check out Tiebreak's Twitter and Podcast for more info!

Tiebreak Tennis: 2010 French Open Quarterfinals

New Podcast episode is out! Check it out on the top of the blog, on the Podcast site HERE, or on iTunes by searching "Tiebreak Tennis."

Check it out as we recap the first week of Roland Garros, and discuss all 8 of the Quarterfinal matches.

Check out LIVE coverage of the 2010 French Open on Tiebreak's Twitter.

Thanks and see you soon.

TT

French Open Rd of 16

It's time for the Rd of 16 at the 2010 French Open.

Henin/Sharapova will finish tomorrow after they were stopped at one set all today. Once there is a winner in that one, the Rd of 16's will be complete.

This is always the gritty part of a Slam. For the most part, everyone who couldn't make a real dent in the tournament is out.

To try and sort through the matches, and pick out which ones to pay close attention to...here are a few predictions.

The Men

The Lock- Rafa is always a good lock on clay. He goes up against Belucci from Brazil. Belucci is sort of a mini-Nadal with big lefty strokes. He just doesn't have enough game to take him out, but I look for him to be a threat in a few years.

The Upset- My upset pick is Almagro (19) over Verdasco (7). It's the perfect equation for an upset. Take a tired, overplayed Verdasco coming off a 5 set marathon win and mix it with a talented, dangerous, relatively fresh shot-maker with a lot of heart= an upset.

The Dud- Cilic/Soderling on paper is a blockbuster. However, I think Cilic is feeling his last match against Mayer that went 5, and Soderling is playing awesome. I think Sod is going to take care of him without many problems. I hope I'm wrong because on paper, this match could be amazing.

Closer than you think- Fed/Wawrinka. I'm not quite brave enough to make this my upset pick, but I certainly think Stan Wawrinka is going to give Fed trouble. He has beaten him once already on the dirt and usually plays well against him. I also think Fed feels some pressure against him because he is his countryman and good friend. Keep a close eye on this one.

The Women

The Lock- Dementieva/Scheepers. Admittedly, I have never seen Scheepers hit a ball...and couldn't pick her out of a lineup. I really like the way Dementieva is quietly moving through the draw and look for her to win this one easy.

The Upset- Hantuchova over Jankovic. In the battle of could-be mental cases, I think Hantuchova takes out the 4 seed.

The Dud- Venus/Petrova. I think Venus is going to roll through Nadia. Perhaps it's purely a hunch, but I think Venus is playing at an extremely high level right now.

Closer than you think- Peer/Serena. Serena seems to be under the weather and was really tested in her last match. Peer has a lot of fight in her and is a very good clay courter. I look for this one to be tight.

These next few rounds should be very interesting. Stay tuned to Tiebreak's Blog, Twitter, and Podcast for much more info on the 2010 French Open.

New Podcast coming very soon.

Full coverage tomorrow on Tiebreak's Twitter.

TT

Four Horse Race...

Today was a busy day of catch-up at the French Open.

It featured just about everyone in the draw, men and women as the 2nd Slam of the year made up a rainy Day 5.

Watching just about everyone in the draw today, it seems like this tournament is a four horse race.

2 men and 2 women seem a level above everyone else in the competition.

MEN:

Rafa- Rafa has lost 2 sets on clay this entire season. He is assaulting people on the dirt as usual, looks fit, is playing more aggressive, and the scariest thing: I think he can play better. Honestly, the way he is playing right now who can beat him best of 5?
Roger- Fed seems to have left his mini-slump. He is moving beautifully on the clay and hitting the ball really well. He is so versatile on the clay, maybe even more than any year. He is using the drop shot more, hitting the backhand more solid, and seems to be serving a high percentage.

Women:

Serena- I don't care how she grades herself, the tournament is in her hands. She is the best player and it really comes down to how bad she wants this one.
Venus- She is playing the best clay court tennis of her life. Moving and sliding very well and playing a nice blend of patient and aggressive tennis. Backhand looks awesome too.

Now, of course, things can change. One bad set can change everything in tennis, and someone else can certainly step up (think Henin, Verdasco, Novak?).

But, if your asking me through 6 days at the French...Roger and Rafa will be battling it out for the trophy, and so will Venus and Serena. It's a four horse race.

Check out the blog, Twitter page, and Podcast for full coverage of the French Open.