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Wimbledon epics: Nadal vs Muller among the great matches
With a fifth set that lasted more than two hours the clash will be remembered as one of the best ever
The marathon fifth set between Rafa Nadal and Gilles Muller at Wimbledon this year lasted an incredible two-and-a-quarter hours, eventually finishing 15-13 to Muller.
The final chapter of the encounter took half an hour longer than Roger Federer's entire match against Grigor Dimitrov, but it was by no means the longest match or even the longest set played at Wimbledon.
Here are some other epic matches:
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The longest match in tennis history unfolded over three days at Wimbledon in 2010 and took more than 11 hours to complete.
American John Isner eventually overcame Frenchman Nicolas Mahut by the unfathomable score of 70-68 in the final set, which lasted eight hours - almost 90 minutes longer than any other match in tennis history.
The match began on Tuesday and play was suspended due to bad light with the score at two sets apiece. The fifth set began on Wednesday and was eventually finished on Thursday.
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Federer vs Roddick 2009
The 2009 final served up a jaw dropping finale as Roger Federer claimed his sixth Wimbledon crown in extraordinary circumstances, beating American Andy Roddick 16-14 in the final set of the match.
However, in terms of time the match was relatively short, lasting only four hours and 17 minutes, with the final set lasting less than two hours.
Cilic vs Querrey 2012
Croatian Marin Cilic saw off American Sam Querrey in the small matter of five hours 31 minutes in the second longest match at Wimbledon - which puts Isner and Masut's showdown into perspective.
The third-round encounter ended with Cilic winning the fifth set 17-15, but while the fifth set featured 32 games it lasted only two hours and seven minutes.
Melo & Sa vs Hanley & Ullyett 2007
The record for the longest doubles match at Wimbledon since the introduction of tie-breaks belongs to Brazilian pair Marcelo Melo and Andre Sa who took 102 games to defeat Paul Hanley and Kevin Ullyett in 2007.
The final set of their six-hour-13-minute third-round marathon ended 28-26.
Nadal vs Federer 2008
No list of Wimbledon epics is complete without a mention of the 2008 final, regarded as the finest tennis match ever played.
Nadal will have far fonder memories of that match than the one against Muller, as he triumphed 9-7 in the final set after four hours and 48 minutes of play.
Although the fifth set only featured 16 games it still lasted an hour and three-quarters, and the match was, at the time, the longest ever Grand Slam final.
