John Isner makes deeply honest admission about Wimbledon match versus Nicolas Mahut

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John Isner admitted playing an absolute Wimbledon marathon against Nicolas Mahut "wasn't that much fun" in the moment as he thought of it more as "a war of attrition out there." In 2010, Isner and Mahut played the longest tennis match ever at The Championships.

After 11 hours and five minutes - in a match that spread out over three days - Isner edged out Mahut 6-4 3-6 6-7 (7) 7-6 (3) 70-68 in their Wimbledon first-round match. Reflecting on it now, Isner says it was "a very cool memory." “The one match everyone talks about in 2010, I will never, ever forget that match, even though I might want to.

11 hours and 5 minutes in 2010. I don’t want to call it a fond memory because it wasn't that much fun playing in that match. It was just a war of attrition out there. But being a part of it, looking back on it was very cool,” Isner told NBC 5.

Isner on retiring from tennis, his retirement life

Isner, who turned pro in 2007, retired from pro tennis after this year's US Open. Isner, now 38 years old, retired after accepting that his body was no longer allowing him to play the game at the highest level.

In 2023, Isner was 9-14. “Being as big as I am, I think it finally caught up to me. I mean, it took a big toll on my body," Isner said. In April, Isner and his wife welcomed their fourth child. Now that Isner is spending the majority of his time at home, he has new duties.

“Definitely as it stands right now, I have more time than most dads. So I am taking them to school, taking them to practice, taking them to their games,” Isner said. At the US Open, Isner clinched one final win before retiring as he beat Facundo Diaz Acosta in his opener before losing to Michael Mmoh in the second round.