Australian Open 2011: End The Epic Matches

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: January 24, 2011

commentComment        

Get the latest tennis news and sign up for our daily Australian Open newsletter at www.TennisNow.com

 

John Isner and Nicolas Mahut tried to take tennis from here to eternity in the three-day saga at Wimbledon that was the longest match in tennis history. On Sunday in Melbourne, Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova mounted a return to forever match.

Fueled by ferocity, Francesca Schiavone fought off six match points to finally subdue Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-4, 1-6, 16-14 to prevail in four hours, 44 minutes — the longest women's Grand Slam match in Open Era history — and advance to the Australian Open quarterfinals.

While matches which last as long as a television mini series are a gripping advertisement for our game, exhibit the physical and emotional demands of the sport and showcase the valiant spirit of the players, I'm dead set against them. 

I'm here to implore tennis officials to stop the madness and end the epics.

Install a fifth-set tie breaker as a major mandatory rule. Are you listening International Tennis Federation or does someone need to pass out from exhaustion first?

Are these excruciating encounters dramatic?

Absolutely. They can take tennis to new audiences who are engrossed in the growing drama and gain international attention for our great game. But I've got to call it as I see it and clearly while these marathon matches provide drama for fans they deplete and sometimes damage players.

Everyone remembers Isner's mind-boggling 70-68 fifth-set decision over Mahut in a match that spanned 11 hours, 5 minutes at Wimbledon. But what toll did that take on these inspired tennis warriors?

Big John was so physically beat up he could barely run in losing his second-round match to Thiemo de Bakker at Wimbledon and mauled Mahut was banged up for the rest of the season.

The tennis world celebrated David Nalbandi...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!