ISNUT wins for Best Record-Breaking Performance at ESPYS

John Isner was on hand last night at the 2010 ESPYS to receive one of the big awards - Best Record-Breaking Performance - for playing the longest match in tennis history a.k.a. ISNUT.

After realizing the on stage mic only reached his belly button he bent down and thanked his foe, Nicolas Mahut, who wasn't in attendance, his support team at Saddlebrook Academy and the voters. The pair beat out Roger Federer who was nominated in the same category for breaking Pete Sampras' all-time Grand Slam record at Wimbledon last season.

It would've been great to see both ballers there to accept the award. I wonder if Nic was asked to attend at all and, if so, declined the offer. He really deserves some of the accolades too.

In any case, a big congrats to ISNUT!

Other winners of the night included Serena Williams for Best Female Tennis Player and Kim Clijsters for Best Comeback.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

PHOTO OP: Isnut and the final act

"Only 6 more to go!"

So the epic first round encounter between John Isner + Nicolas Mahut that has been followed all around the world finally came to an end today with the towering American pulling out the win with a final scoreline of 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (9), 7-6 (3), 70-68. It lasted a total of 11 hours, 5 minutes and spanned 183 games. Unfathomable.

Tree was asked about his mental fortitude and how he managed to be on the winning end of this marathon match in his post-match presser:

Q. Is there something that keeps you patient and mentally fastened on what's going on, some sort of magic word?

JOHN ISNER: No. I don't know. A lot of times in situations like that, I always find myself very, very calm and controlled.

I think I learned that in my time in college, playing a lot of, you know, pressure filled matches. Obviously it's not the magnitude that this is.

That's something that Coach Diaz at Georgia was really good at, was able to really make me a lot mentally stronger. That's one of the reasons, you know, I'm here today, what I'm doing right now.


Q. In the finish, was it the will to win or fear of failure that got you across the line?

JOHN ISNER: Oh, that's a good question. I think it was more so the will to win. Obviously in the back of my mind is, as I'm sure it was with him, I don't want to be on the losing side of this. It's going to be a little bit better to be on the winning side.

But I think it was the will to win. Not that I outwilled him. I mean, obviously he gave it his all. I just kind of was a little bit more fortunate than he was.

Infinite props to both ballers for the astounding mental fortitude, physical stamina and supreme sportsmanship they displayed over the three days it took to complete this match. They certainly show me and a lot of other people what it means to compete with grace and dignity.

More images from the final act below!






[Photo(s): Getty Images]

Isnut: The longest match in history...ain't over yet

The word 'epic' is used all over the place like a cheap, eh, suit but John Isner + Nicolas Mahut have set the standard for its use in tennis. Their first round match at Wimbledon, which began on Tuesday and was held over until today because of darkness, was suspended once again because of fading light with the score at 59-59 in the decider.

It's already the longest match in tennis history at 10 hours but the 7 hour, 6 minute fifth set alone was enough to break the old record of 6 hours, 33 minutes set at the 2004 French Open. The on-court scoreboard (above) even broke down while the online Slam Tracker reset itself to 0-0 once the score hit 50-50.

Seriously, I can't believe a match at Wimby that has stretched over 3 days has nothing to do with rain. WTH?


So what was it like watching every minute of this battle of attrition live on TV? Well, I can only compare the experience to what it's like staring at a JJ outfit: I desperately wanted to look away but I kept being drawn back to the insanity of it all.

Now I need to see the ending. I must see the ending. Nothing will be complete in my tennis life until this thing ends.


[Photo(s): Getty Images]

+ Weekend Winners

DFS Classic - Jelena "Weird Al" Jankovic d. Maria Shriekapova 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. I think Janko beating Shriekapova, a former Wimbledon winner, on grass is a pretty significant win for the raven-haired Serbian. I'm a big fan of her game, so if she can keep her marbles together at 4-all in the 3rd set of the Wimby semifinals a maiden Grand Slam title is possible. Otherwise the "choke-master" label is not out of the question, with her devastating loss to Justin Henin at the U.S. Open last year (where she was up a set and a break) and her apathetic losses at the Aussie and French Opens this year.

Queen's Club - Andy Roddick d. Nicolas Mahut 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (2). It's good to see A-Rod fighting to win a title! He's definitely one of the best on grass, so this should be a good confidence booster for him. He's too good not to have added to his first Slam at the U.S. Open (although, to be fair, he's living in the 'Federer Years'.) He joins Lleyton Hewitt, John McEnroe, and Boris "Baby Daddy" Becker as 4-time winners at Queen's Club.

Gerry Weber Open - Tomas Berdych d. Marcos Baghdatis 7-5, 6-4. Too bad for the Baghster, losing on his 22nd birthday. But Tomas is so talented, yet so streaky (and much prettier than his girlfriend Lucie Safarova, actually.) He could do damage at The All-England Club with his power game but one never knows which Tomas will show up. Berdych has the skills to beat anyone on a good day, but those come few and far between for the Czech player.