Just a day after John Isner won what was deemed as the longest tennis match in all of history, came defeat in the shortest match in men’s singles in Wimbledon so far this year.
Meanwhile, for the defending champion, Roger Federer, things seemed back to normal when he showed his caliber by playing at the top of his game. As a result, he defeated Arnaud Clement straight and reached the fourth round of the Wimbledon. This takes him a step closer to what would be his seventh singles title.
Isner, on the other hand, was defeated by an unseeded player, Thiemo de Bakker from the Netherlands, in a 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 game. Isner was not able to play in his usual form and looked weary, requiring treatment for his neck injury. The second round was actually over in just a little bit over an hour, and his five games previously won is now known to be the fewest by a male player for the week.
The short game was a far cry from the epic 3-day victory Isner enjoyed over Nicolas Mahut. The said game lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes, which took the players up to 70-68 in the fifth set.
Isner said, “I’ve never been this exhausted before… Mentally and physically, I was obviously a bit drained. I just didn’t have much in the way of my legs. I was just low on fuel out there. Didn’t really have a chance.”