By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
Let’s call it the greatest two-day first round match in Wimbledon history.
Probably the greatest first round match in Wimbledon history, period, was the three-day, 11 hour and five minute marathon between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut from 2010 that concluded with a 70-68 fifth set win for Isner. But what was the greatest first round match at Wimbledon that only lasted two days?
Enter the first round match in 1969 between Pancho Gonzales and Charlie Pasarell.
This epic match was for years was the longest ever match at Wimbledon, lasting five hours and 12 minutes, but over two days. Gonzales at age 41, outlasted Pasarell 22-24, 1-6, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9. It was, perhaps until the 1980 Wimbledon final between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, regarded as the best ever match at Wimbledon. Tennis historian and International Tennis Hall of Fame member Steve Flink rated the match No. 8 all-time in his book “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” (which is for sale and download here: https://a.co/d/0eUPWnL2)
The following Wrote Flink of the famous encounter in his “Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” book.
With the capacity Centre Court audience now standing to deliver a roar of acclamation, the victor stood for a moment in the sunshine, contemplating an incredible two-day turnaround. When he left the court with an understandably despondent Pasarell, Gonzales had succeeded 22-24, 1-6, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9 in a record-breaking five hours and twelve minutes. It was the longest match in Wimbledon history. Two hours and fifty-four minutes of that monumental effort had taken place on the second day. After saving the seven match points and twice holding from 0-40, triple match point down, Gonzales had collected twelve of the last thirteen points to take the match. “His was one of the greatest individual achievements in tennis or any other sport,” wrote Bellamy in the London Times. “This is a man who was born to greatness and did not scorn the gift.”
Lance Tingay of London’s Daily Telegraph put Gonzales lucidly into perspective. He wrote, “Ricardo Gonzales, who has never won the singles at Wimbledon and almost certainly never will, yesterday put himself into the annals of the championships as predominately as any champion ever did. Despite its heroic standards, this was only a first round match. It is one of the tragedies of lawn tennis that Wimbledon never saw Gonzales at his peak.”
On the same afternoon that Gonzales celebrated his comeback against Pasarell, Rod Laver found himself down two sets to love against the Indian Premjit Lall. Laver was destined to win his second Grand Slam. Every match he played was given close scrutiny by the cognoscenti. But even this ultimate champion seemed forgotten in the glow of Pancho’s timeless triumph.
The match is the feature entry in the June 25 of my book “On This Day In Tennis History” (for sale and download here: https://a.co/d/00qV29Dz) excerpted below.
1969 – Forty-one-year-old Pancho Gonzales finishes off his classic, darkness-delayed five-set win over Charlie Pasarell 22-24, 1-6, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9 in 5 hours, 12 minutes – the longest match played at Wimbledon at the time. Gonzales, 20 years removed from when he won his last major at age 21 at Forest Hills, trails Pasarell two-sets to love when the match was suspended the night before due to darkness after 2 hours, 20 minutes of play. Gonzales sweeps all three sets on its resumption to move into the second round, but heroically fights off seven match points in the fifth set – at 4-5, 0-40, at 5-6, 0-40 and at 7-8, ad-out. Writes Fred Tupper of the New York Times of the match’s conclusion, “It was a question of raw courage now. How long could Pancho go on? He was leaning on his racquet between exchanges, flicking globules of sweat off his brow. At 9-9, Pasarell played a bad game. He double-faulted, hit a volley wide, a lob over the baseline and another volley just out. Gonzalez served for the match. A serve, a smash to deep court and a backhand volley that creased the sideline put him at match point. In sepulchral silence, Gonzalez toed the tape to serve. Then Pasarell lobbed out. Gonzalez had taken 11 points in a row. He had clawed his way back and won.” In 1989, in a second-round match played over three days, Greg Holmes beats fellow American Todd Witsken 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 14-12 in 5 hours, 28 minutes.
