# If you're near a tv . . **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 23, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269 "2010-06-23T19:44:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/21 "2010-06-24T05:48:10Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > 1. It’s like baseball. > > 2. This is why you don’t like it? This has never occured before in thousands of matches. It’s almost impossible. Until you get 2 people of similar ability, with equal fitness, will and temperament. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/22 "2010-06-24T06:23:14Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Until you get 2 people of similar ability, with equal fitness, will and temperament. Not even that really. There have been hundreds of matches like that. These are people not machines. People usually make game ending mistakes long before this amount of time. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/23 "2010-06-24T06:27:50Z")
Which is what makes it all the more remarkable. These 2 guys were serving better after 9 hrs than most players can manage in a first set. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/24 "2010-06-24T08:05:22Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > There are usually two options at a major tournament. Either you buy a pass to the main stadium, or the two or three main stadiums, in which case you get to watch a couple of matches featuring the most heralded players, or you buy a grounds pass and you can wander around to any court except the main ones, and see more matches. It’s early in the tournament, so match was being played on Court 18. You need a grounds pass to see a match there… Almost… at Wimbledon if you have a ticket for the Show Courts (i.e. Centre Court or No 1 Court) you have a ground pass included. So you can wander around the outside courts if there’s a break between matches on the stadium courts. If you have a ground pass you are only allowed to see the outside courts, although late in the day there is sometimes the chance to purchase Show Court tickets at a discount from people who have left for the day. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/25 "2010-06-24T10:59:33Z")
One thing I’ve not seen mentioned is the standard of sportsmanship displayed. The primadonnas on Centre Court will scream and howl, yet both Isner and Mahut have been utter gentlemen. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/26 "2010-06-24T11:03:46Z")
Is it over yet? ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/27 "2010-06-24T11:05:20Z")
No. Some great stats coming out of this; for example, in 2002 Serena Williams’ entire Wimbledon (which she won) was shorter than the final set of this match. ---
**Author:** ![Sorrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@Sorrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sorrel)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/28 "2010-06-24T11:10:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Is it over yet? The game won’t re-start before 15:30. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/29 "2010-06-24T11:14:39Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Until you get 2 people of similar ability, with equal fitness, will and temperament. That happens all the time, and they still don’t play a match that lasts this long. It’s uncommon for people of similar ability, fitness, will, and temperament to play a match half this long. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/30 "2010-06-24T11:34:26Z")
It’s almost as rare as rocking-horse shit, but on the off-chance it occurs it’s handy to have a shovel. ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/31 "2010-06-24T11:50:34Z")
Isnar makes me smile actually; he waves his racket in the general direction of the ball and it’s 120mph every time, even if he’s almost comatose. I mean, he’s not even concentrating and it’s a 120. ---
**Author:** ![Sorrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@Sorrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sorrel)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/32 "2010-06-24T12:53:15Z")
I think it’s the differences between them that has made the match last so long. Isner has a killer serve which reaches speeds of 140 mph+ whilst Mahut strength lies in the rally. Mahut got through the first round 3-6, 6-3, 24-22 which was pretty wild to start with! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/33 "2010-06-24T14:03:29Z")
> [@Sorrel](#): > > Mahut got through the first round 3-6, 6-3, 24-22 which was pretty wild to start with! This is a first round match. What you’re thinking of was a qualifying match. Mahut’s ranking isn’t very high, so he needed to win three matches last week just to get into the tournament. Two of his three matches were long ones. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/34 "2010-06-24T15:09:54Z")
63 all! FFS! ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/35 "2010-06-24T15:24:12Z")
65 all. My god they must be so sore. Their arms are going to fall off. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/36 "2010-06-24T15:29:12Z")
They seem to have fixed the Slamtracker (and the on-court scoreboards) to cope with the number of games. (Before, there was a note on the online one saying “Please add 50 to game score in Mahut v Isner!”). At this rate they will still run out of space when the score reaches 100-99. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/37 "2010-06-24T15:45:01Z")
68-69 for those who can’t get it at work. Holy Moses! ! ! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/38 "2010-06-24T15:56:42Z")
And it’s over. 70-68 to Isner. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/39 "2010-06-24T15:57:58Z")
Stick a fork in them - they’re done. 70-68 to Isner, after 11+ hours of playing. I can’t imagine what he’s going to feel like when he steps onto the court for his next match in a few days’ time. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269/40 "2010-06-24T15:59:15Z")
I’m assuming they both got an incredible send off? I’ll have to watch the highlights tonigh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-near-a-tv/544269.md?page=3)