# Chapter 2: Records & Statistics

Tennis · Chapter 2: Records & Statistics · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/tennis/interesting-facts/chapter-2-records-statistics/)

Records that read like stories: the longest match, rally and final, the shortest final, a set without a point lost, the youngest and oldest champions and the longest streaks. Each one checked to still stand.

## 2.21 Marathons and Whitewashes

The longest match, rally and final in tennis, the shortest final of the Open Era, and a set won without losing a point.

### Test 1: Longest, shortest and perfect

- The match ran 665 minutes, spread over three days on Court 18; the fifth set alone took 8 hours 11 minutes. (Source: Olympics.com, 'The longest tennis match: an 11-hour marathon at Wimbledon'; LTA, 'The longest match'; ESPN)
- Isner won 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68; the fifth set alone had 138 games. (Source: Olympics.com, 'The longest tennis match: an 11-hour marathon at Wimbledon'; LTA, 'The longest match'; ESPN)
- Isner hit 113 and Mahut 103: 216 between them, against the old record of 78 for a whole match. (Source: Olympics.com, 'The longest tennis match: an 11-hour marathon at Wimbledon'; LTA, 'The longest match'; ESPN)
- Guinness records 32 minutes of playing time (the official clock shows 34, because of a rain break); Zvereva won 13 points. (Source: Guinness World Records, 'Shortest Grand Slam tennis final (Open Era)'; Roland-Garros, 1988 edition (rolandgarros.com))
- Shvedova won all 24 points of the first set, the only golden set at a major in the Open Era. (Source: WTA, 'Immaculate Shvedova unlocks historic Golden Set feat' (wtatennis.com); Guinness World Records)
- The point took 29 minutes, at set point in a second-set tiebreak; Nelson won it and the match, which lasted six and a half hours. (Source: NPR, 'Longest recorded tennis rally remembered' (2009); The New York Times)
- Djokovic won 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5, finishing at 1.37 in the morning. (Source: Australian Open, '2012: the greatest tennis match of all time?' (ausopen.com); Guinness World Records)
- 29 minutes, 32 minutes, 5 hours 53 minutes and 11 hours 5 minutes. (Source: NPR; Guinness World Records; Australian Open; Olympics.com)
- 1984, 1988, 2010 and 2012. (Source: NPR; Guinness World Records; Olympics.com; WTA)
- The board had not been programmed for scores beyond 47-47; the match went on to 70-68. (Source: Olympics.com, 'The longest tennis match: an 11-hour marathon at Wimbledon'; LTA, 'The longest match'; ESPN)

## 2.22 Ages and Streaks

The youngest and oldest major champions, the longest winning runs, the longest reign at No. 1 and a record nobody wants.

### Test 1: Teenage champions, veterans and long runs

- Chang was 17 years and about three months old; as the 15th seed he beat Ivan Lendl after cramping badly and then Stefan Edberg in the final. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee pages (tennisfame.com); Tennis.com)
- Ranked 20th, Becker was not seeded, and he was then the youngest men's Wimbledon champion. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee pages (tennisfame.com); ATP Tour)
- Guinness gives her age as 16 years 271 days; she beat Chris Evert in the final. (Source: Guinness World Records, 'Youngest woman to win the US Open singles'; WTA legend bio)
- He was 37 years, 2 months and 1 day; the Australian Open still lists it as an Open Era record. (Source: Australian Open, 'Top 10 Australian Open player records that stand alone' and Ken Rosewall page (ausopen.com))
- The run began in February 1984 and ended when Helena Sukova beat her in the Australian Open semi-final that December. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee pages (tennisfame.com))
- The run ended in October 1977 when he retired against Ilie Nastase in protest at Nastase's double-strung 'spaghetti' racket. (Source: ATP Tour, Guillermo Vilas biography (atptour.com); Tennis.com)
- She won the match anyway, 1-6, 6-4, 10-8. (Source: The Washington Post, 'Kournikova wins despite 31 double faults' (1999))
- 16 years 9 months, 17 years 3 months, 17 years 7 months and 37. (Source: Guinness; Hall of Fame; Australian Open)
- 31, 46, 74 and 237. (Source: Washington Post; ATP Tour; Hall of Fame)
- Djokovic has more weeks at No. 1 in total, but Federer's 237 in a row remain the longest single reign. (Source: ATP Tour, 'First among equals: world No. 1 record breakers'; Tennis.com)

## 2.23 Serves and Aces

The biggest servers and their numbers: career aces, a wildcard's 213, a woman's 102 and the fastest serve ever measured.

### Test 1: Records on serve

- Isner passed the Croatian's total in 2022. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), John Isner)
- He finished with 14,470. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), John Isner)
- That is six feet eleven inches; his serve came down from very high. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), Ivo Karlovic)
- He came through as a wildcard and served his way to the title. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive; ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com))
- She won the title, her fifth at Wimbledon. (Source: WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com); Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive)
- The Czech won 16-14 in the fifth set of a semi-final. (Source: Davis Cup official site, records (daviscup.com))
- He hit it in a Davis Cup tie against Belarus. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), Andy Roddick)
- 2001, 2004, 2009 and 2012. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com); WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com))
- 78, 102 and 213. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com); WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com))
- The Australian's serve was clocked at 263 km/h. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), Sam Groth)

## 2.24 Doubles Records

Twins with 16 majors, the Woodies, the 109-match run and the Wimbledon record that passed from Ryan to King.

### Test 1: Pairs and partners

- Their last came at the 2014 US Open. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), Bob and Mike Bryan)
- A left- and right-handed pair covers both corners with forehands. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), Bob and Mike Bryan)
- The Australians won six Wimbledon doubles titles together. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com))
- She reached the singles final twice and lost both times. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive; International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com), Elizabeth Ryan)
- King won the women's doubles with Martina Navratilova for her 20th Wimbledon title. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive; International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com))
- She became the oldest champion in the event's history. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive)
- Both have 20 Wimbledon titles across singles, doubles and mixed. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive)
- 1979, 1983, 2003 and 2014. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive; ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com); WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com))
- 16, 20, 61 and 109. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive; ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com); WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com))
- The run of 109 included a calendar Grand Slam in 1984. (Source: WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com))

## 2.25 Calendar Grand Slams

All four majors in one year: the singles pioneers, the doubles and mixed pairs, a junior and a wheelchair champion.

### Test 1: Four majors in a season

- Budge won the Australian, French, Wimbledon and US titles in one season. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com), Don Budge)
- She was 18 when she completed it. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com), Maureen Connolly)
- It was the first by a woman in the Open Era. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com), Margaret Court)
- The Australians won all four majors together that year. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com), Frank Sedgman)
- She won the Australian Open with Mirjana Lucic and the other three with Jana Novotna. (Source: WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com))
- He later won six major singles titles as a man. (Source: ITF, wheelchair and junior records (itftennis.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com))
- She did it in the same calendar year, a Golden Slam. (Source: ITF, wheelchair and junior records (itftennis.com), Diede de Groot)
- 1938, 1953 and 1970. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com))
- 1951, 1963, 1998 and 2021. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com); ITF, wheelchair and junior records (itftennis.com))
- It was the first calendar Slam in mixed doubles. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com), Margaret Court)

## 2.26 Davis Cup Records

The record-holder from Italy, the longest singles and doubles, red shirts in Chile and late first titles.

### Test 1: Records of the team cup

- He played 164 rubbers in all, from 1954 to 1972. (Source: Davis Cup official site, records (daviscup.com), records)
- He also played more ties than anyone: 66. (Source: Davis Cup official site, records (daviscup.com), records)
- McEnroe won 9-7, 6-2, 15-17, 3-6, 8-6 in St. Louis. (Source: Davis Cup official site, records (daviscup.com))
- Berdych and Rosol beat Chiudinelli and Wawrinka 24-22 in the fifth set. (Source: Davis Cup official site, records (daviscup.com))
- Adriano Panatta led the team; Pietrangeli was the captain. (Source: Davis Cup official site, records (daviscup.com))
- Argentina came from 2-1 down to beat Croatia in Zagreb. (Source: Davis Cup official site, records (daviscup.com))
- Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka led the team. (Source: Davis Cup official site, records (daviscup.com))
- 1976, 2000, 2002 and 2014. (Source: Davis Cup official site, records (daviscup.com))
- 1982, 2009, 2013 and 2016. (Source: Davis Cup official site, records (daviscup.com))
- Panatta and Bertolucci chose red to protest against Pinochet's government, which many had wanted Italy to boycott. (Source: Davis Cup official site, records (daviscup.com); Italian Tennis Federation (fitp.it))

## 2.27 Rankings Records

The longest runs at No. 1, the youngest leaders, a No. 1 without a major and the shortest reign of all.

### Test 1: Life at the top

- Roger Federer passed it on the way to 237. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), rankings history)
- Graf's run began in 1987; Serena equalled it in 2016. (Source: WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com), rankings history)
- She was 16 years and six months old. (Source: WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com), rankings history)
- The Chilean reached one major final, in Australia in 1998. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), Marcelo Rios)
- He was the first British player to reach No. 1 on the computer rankings. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), Andy Murray)
- Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray held No. 1 between them from February 2004. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), rankings history)
- He passed Lleyton Hewitt, who was 20 in 2001. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), Carlos Alcaraz)
- 1974, 1997, 1998 and 2022. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com); WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com))
- 160, 186 and 237 weeks. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com); WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com))
- Pete Sampras took the top spot back the following week. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), rankings history)

## 2.28 Prize Money Milestones

From £2,000 at the first open Wimbledon to $6 million in Riyadh: the cheques that marked each era.

### Test 1: Money through the years

- The women's champion received £750. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive, prize money history)
- He had won his second calendar Grand Slam two years earlier. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com), Rod Laver)
- Ashe took only expenses; Okker, a registered player, could take the money. (Source: US Open official site, history (usopen.org); International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com))
- Pete Sampras won it; the event ran until 1999. (Source: ITF, wheelchair and junior records (itftennis.com); ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com))
- It was played indoors in December, open to the best performers at the majors. (Source: ITF, wheelchair and junior records (itftennis.com))
- Jannik Sinner won it; it was the biggest prize in tennis history. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com) news, 'Sinner wins Six Kings Slam' (2024))
- The men's and women's champions are paid the same. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive, prize money 2024)
- £2,000, $14,000, $2 million and $6 million. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive; usopen.org; ITF, wheelchair and junior records (itftennis.com); ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com))
- 1971, 1990, 2007 and 2024. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com); ITF, wheelchair and junior records (itftennis.com); Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive)
- King won the singles for the third year in a row. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive, prize money history)

## 2.29 Finals That Turned

Saved championship points, comebacks from two sets down, a final in the dark and the longest final by games.

### Test 1: Great comebacks

- Federer led 40-15 on serve and could not close it out. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive, 2019 gentlemen's final)
- The 12-all tiebreak had been brought in that year. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive, 2019 gentlemen's final)
- Rain delays stretched the day; Centre Court had no roof or lights then. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive, 2008 gentlemen's final)
- It was Lendl's first major title. (Source: Roland-Garros official site, history (rolandgarros.com))
- He beat his fellow Argentine Guillermo Coria 8-6 in the fifth set. (Source: Roland-Garros official site, history (rolandgarros.com))
- It took him to 21 major titles at the time. (Source: Australian Open official site (ausopen.com))
- Federer beat Andy Roddick 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive, 2009 gentlemen's final)
- 1984, 2004, 2019 and 2022. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive; rolandgarros.com; ausopen.com)
- 62, 68 and 77 games. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive)
- It was Nadal's first Wimbledon title, ending Federer's run of five. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive, 2008 gentlemen's final)

## 2.30 Unbeaten Runs

The longest winning streaks on one court or one surface, and the players who finally ended them.

### Test 1: Streaks on grass and clay

- The run began in 1976 and covered five titles. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive; International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com), Bjorn Borg)
- It ended in the 2008 Wimbledon final. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), Roger Federer)
- Nadal's run had begun in April 2005. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), Rafael Nadal)
- He won the title 14 times between 2005 and 2022. (Source: Roland-Garros official site (rolandgarros.com))
- He won eight of them. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com), Roger Federer)
- Evert had not lost a clay-court match since August 1973. (Source: WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com), Chris Evert)
- She added a ninth title in 1990. (Source: Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive; International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com))
- 41, 65, 81 and 125 matches. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com); WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com); Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive)
- 1973, 1976, 2003 and 2005. (Source: ATP Tour, records and player profiles (atptour.com); WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com); Wimbledon.com, records and draws archive)
- She won 125 clay-court matches in a row. (Source: WTA, records and player profiles (wtatennis.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame, inductee profiles (tennisfame.com), Chris Evert)

Sources: Primary/official sources only, no Wikipedia citations: Guinness World Records, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the ATP and WTA, the Australian Open and Roland-Garros, Olympics.com, NPR, The Washington Post. Every record checked to still stand as of October 2026. Title counts and total weeks at No. 1 are asked in Knowledge Testing and left out on purpose; the 'longest tiebreak' is left out because its record is disputed.

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