The viewers' preferential world cup viewing is justified as the tournament, which began in 1930, only takes place every four years, whereas Wimbledon, initiated in 1877, is an annual event.
Uruguay: 1930
Wimbledon's Early Days
It is rather ironic however to note that World Cup 2010 in South Africa, presently overriding any press space normally given to Wimbledon, will inevitably be forgotten in the future, unless some historically great feat were to occur. On the other hand, Wimbledon 2010, will always be remember for one epic match in early round play, amongst a couple lower ranked seeds.
Wimbledon's rule is that the "Gentlemen" must play out the final set if tied at 6-6 until one man wins two games in a row. This is unlike any other tennis match in where the players simply have a tiebreak. Thus, a year after the fabled Roddick-Federer hold your serve match, the inevitable occurred.
The line: Isner def. Mahut 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(9-7), 7–6(7-3), 70–68.
70-68. 138 games in the final set. Time of play: 11hrs 5min. Spread over 3 days.
This all took place quietly in the background as final games were played in the world cup group stage.
It is quite obvious as to why Isner lost in straight sets in his following match. Yet this is not important. What matters is that two men were relentless, and battled for three days until the other erred and lost a series of points.
Although for the majority of us, tennis may be considered a leisurely activity, this match, which won't be touched for a long time coming, reflects the pinnacle of competition and will be respectfully noted as just that. Many call it a marathon match, but marathons don't last 11 hours. If endurance analogies are to be made, then Isner and Mahut went head to head in a full out Tour de Wimbledon.
Thus, although the Vuvuzelas drown out anything lower than 127dB, they will soon fade away and become more sparse. Yet the echo of this match will resonate indefinitely, so long as Wimbledon lore is alive.
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