How Long Do Tennis Matches Last? Find Your Answer Here!!

If you go and ask a kid how long a soccer match lasts, he can answer that easily. But try asking a few adults how long does a tennis match last? We are sure you will get a variety of answers. This variation lies in the fact that tennis courts do not have clocks that bound the match or the games. Like football, it is unnecessary to end the game within 90 minutes only.

So when you ask the question of how long tennis matches last, the answer is always within a range. If you are looking for an average time limit, it is approximately 97 minutes. However, there have been cases where the tennis matches have ended in just 40 minutes. Thus there is no straightforward answer to this question.

How long do tennis matches last? The Best-Of-Three Set

If you have been watching tennis for a while, you are already aware of the term Best-Of-Three Set. However, if you have just started watching tennis, you might not be very familiar with this term. If we have to define the Best-Of-Three Set format in the shortest possible manner, then the player who wins at least two sets is declared the winner of the match.

Now you might wonder how long do tennis matches last in this format? On average, two rapid sets take nothing more than half an hour. However, this is not necessary that the two sets would finish off rapidly, indicating the match’s winner. Sometimes the time takes for each set is “incredibly long.” Now the reason behind this could be the requirement of a high score. Each player needs to score “48 points” to win the three-set match.

It can be achieved in two ways. If a player wins the first two sets, the third set is not required. However, there are cases when both the players are outstanding. Suppose each of them wins one set. So in that scenario, a third set is required, which takes a maximum of an hour to complete the match.

How long do tennis matches last? The Five Set

According to the average time taken by most of the matches, the time range per set varies somewhere between thirty-five to forty minutes. So for a five-set match, the total time required would be approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes. There is apparent evidence that the entire game had been concluded within an hour. Also, there are cases where the matches took more than 5 hours to complete. It all depends on the players’ expertise, since the better the players and opponents, the longer it takes to win a match against them.

One of the most significant long tennis matches was played at the Wimbledon in 2010. Now, it will be more apparent to you why we give a range and not a fixed number when someone asks how long do tennis matches last? This match we are writing about was played between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut. They are excellent players, so none of them could be trounced. The math lasted for more than a phenomenal 11 hours and 5 minutes, conducted over three days. Such a long-lasting match is that it became complicated to break the serve, especially as the players gradually became too tired.

After this match ended, John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut on Wimbledon’s organizing committee and decided on a tie break. In a recent rule introduced by the committee, there would be a 12-12 tie break in the fifth set to prevent the players from repeating history.

How long do College Tennis Matches Last?

NCAA is the organization that is responsible for holding the Tennis Championships annually for the college teams. For the college tennis matches, there are no sets played. All games are played in a single set, and the winner is decided, unlike the professional matches. The Championship begins with a doubles match round, and the winner of the set is qualified for the next round. Since only one set is played, these tennis matches last not more than 35 to 40 minutes.

After the doubles round is over, “six” singles matches are played to decide the finalists. The single matches are played over a “best-of-three-set” format. Once the players for the last game are selected, the finals are played on a 10-10 tiebreaker set to decide on the winner.

Now you might wonder how long does the round for the single tennis matches last? Most of the time, the singles round is completed within just two hours. Including the final set, the entire game takes nothing more than 3 hours in the Collège tennis championships, played according to the special rule of the NCAA.

How long do the School Tennis Matches last?

Now Tennis is not just played on the professional level or college level but even in the schools. People who want to take up the sport professionally start from a very young age. However, for the schools in the USA, there is no particular “adopted” format that every school needs to follow. But the usual format that most schools stick to is that the game begins with a boys/girls doubles round, followed by a mixed double, and then ultimately ends with singles matches.

But if you are interested in earning about how long these school tennis matches last, the answer is that in most states, it ranges somewhere a bit above 4 hours. However, in the state of Texas, where a completely different format is followed with 19 individual contests, the game can last for up to 6 hours.

The 5 Longest Tennis Matches

Duration	Players in the Match	Venue
11 hours 5 minutes	John Isner Vs Nicolas Mahut	2010 Wimbledon
7 hours 1 minute	Tomas Berdych/Lukas Rosol Vs Stan Wawrinka/ Marco Chiudinelli	2013 Davis Cup
6 hours 43 mins	Leonardo Mayer Vs Joao Souza	2015 Davis Cup
6 hours 36 minutes	Kevin Anderson vs. John Isner	2018 Wimbledon
6 hours and 33 minutes	Fabrice Santoro Vs Arnaud Clement	2004 French Open

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