12 hours ago
John Isner v Nicolas Mahut: the inside story of tennis's longest match
I f a film is ever made about the longest tennis match in history, it would be portmanteau style with criss-crossing storylines, all finishing up on Wimbledon's No18 Court, maybe with some apocalyptic zombies in the supporting cast.
It would obviously star a lookalike of Nicolas Mahut, the Frenchman who came through qualifying, and John Isner, the American best known for being exceedingly tall. Plus Mohamed Lahyani, the umpire. But a smart director would start with two journalists going to work that day, 15 years ago.
One would be Ronald McIntosh, a BBC commentator who had worked primarily in boxing. He had never covered a tennis match in his life. On the BBC rota, McIntosh was given Isner-Mahut because it was low key. A good one on which to cut his teeth.
