John Isner, Who Played Longest Tennis Match, To Retire After US Open 2023

John Isner, who played the longest match in tennis history, announced on Wednesday (August 23) that he will retire from professional tennis after the US Open 2023, which is set to begin in New York on Monday (August 28).

Isner will bring an end to a career that included one Grand Slam semifinal appearance and a victory in the longest match in the sport's history. The American took to social media to make the announcement.

"This transition won't be easy but I'm looking forward to every second of it with my amazing family. Time to lace em up one last time," the big-serving, 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) American captioned with a photo of his family.

Isner reached a career-best ranking of No. 8 in 2018, shortly after reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon, won 16 singles titles and has hit more than 14,000 aces, an ATP Tour record.

His aces record includes 113 - the single-match mark - in his win against Nicolas Mahut that lasted 11 hours, 5 minutes across parts of three days in the first round at the All England Club in 2010 and ended at 70-68 in the fifth set.

That record-breaking longest match now has a plaque commemorating that contest on the wall outside Court 18, where it was played back in 2010.

"Especially once the match got past, you know, 25-all, I wasn't really thinking. Hitting a serve and trying to hit a forehand winner is the only thing I was doing," Isner had said in 2010.

That match and Isner's loss to Kevin Anderson by a 26-24 score in the fifth set in the semifinals at Wimbledon eight years later were a big part of the impetus for the sport's eventual switch to standardizing tiebreakers in the decisive sets at all Grand Slam tournaments.

Isner bowed out in the first round at each of this season's first three Grand Slam tournaments. The last time he got to the third round at a major was at Wimbledon last year, when he defeated Andy Murray at Centre Court.

"It's no secret that I am most definitely not a better tennis player than Andy Murray. I might have been just a little bit better than him today. It was an incredible honor to play him on this court, in front of this crowd," Isner said that day. "At the age I'm at now, I need to relish these moments. This was one of the biggest wins of my career."

(With Agency Inputs)