Run the race fight the fight, never give up

This is amazing!  A true story of never giving up!  This is an epic!

59-59! Wimbledon epic smashes records

Referee Soeren Friemel tells John
Isner (left) and Nicolas Mahut he is holding the match over to Thursday
because of bad light. Picture: AP.
Source: AP

AMERICAN John Isner and Frenchman Nicholas Mahut are deadlocked at
Wimbledon in the most incredible, historic and record-breaking match in
tennis history.

The first-round match on Court 18 resumed today at two sets all as
the second match behind Alicia Molik and Greta Arn.

When play was
suspended for the day, the match was tied at 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 6-7
(3-7) 59-59 after a battle which had ebbed and flowed for exactly 10
hours.

Isner had match point at 59-58 but Mahut fired down an ace
to take it back to deuce, before going on to win the game.

At
this point - at  9.07pm local time and with the light fading fast - 
match officials decided to suspend play, although Isner wanted to carry
on and spectators yelled "We want more''.

The unfinished final set
alone has lasted 7hr 6min.

Isner has served 98 aces and Mahut 95 - easily eclipsing Croat Ivo
Karlovic's world record of 78.

It will continue tonight, not
before 12.30am (Melbourne time).

"Nothing like this will hever
happen again, ever," Isner said as he trudged from the court.

"He's
serving fantastic. I'm serving fantastic."

Mahut, who won a match
at qualifying last week 24-22 in the third set, said: "He's (Isner)
just a champ.

"We're just fighting like we never did before.

"Someone's
got to win but we won't know who until tomorrow."

Virtually every
record in the book fell.

Mahut saved three match points; Isner
looked like he was comatose.

Serving at 32-33, Mahut staved off
two match points.

The Frenchman had to wait 101 games into the
fifth set alone to create a break point against Isner's massive serve.

The
serve has been so dominant, each player has broken serve only once in
the match. Mahut had delivered only 21 double faults for the match,
Isner an astonishingly low nine.

Roger Federer, watching from the
locker-room, lauded both men.

"This is what tennis is all about,"
he said. "These guys are going to be tired the next day, next week, next
month.

"I have almost no words any more watching this.

"It's
beyond anything I've ever seen and could imagine.

"I don't know
how their bodies must feel. This is incredible tennis. For them to serve
the aces they served and stay there mentally is a heroic effort.

"As
we know, we have no draws in tennis, so there will be a loser. But I
guess in this match, both will be winners because this is just
absolutely amazing."

John McEnroe said doctors should have been on
standby courtside.

Apart from minor taping to Mahut's racquet
hand, neither man required treatment.

When play was called off for
the day, 2000 Wimbledon junior Mahut had won 452 points to Isner's 429.