So, How long is a tennis match? Complicated question, little spoken, but here we will solve that doubt taking into account a large number of factors that will determine this result. Easy friend, here we help you, and you will also learn some other curiosity that I assure you that you did not know before, read to the end.
How long is a tennis match?
The basics, what is a set in tennis? How many games are played in each set?
The tennis matches will last more or less depending on these factors:
- If the match is the best of 5 sets or three sets (This means that the maximum sets that can be played are 5 and 3 respectively)
- The surface on which you are playing ( clay tennis courts are slower than grass courts )
- The duration of the points
- The level of the tennis players (if the rivals have a similar level, the matches tend to be longer since the match is more tied )
A tennis set is simply a repeated sequence of games in which the players switch sides every odd number of games (1-0, 2-1, 4-1, etc.) and alternate their serve at the end of each game. To win a set, you have to reach six games but always with a difference of 2 games over the opponent (e.g., 6-4) although the set can also reach seven games (7-5) and finally, the most exciting, reach the tie-break when the score is 6-6, the first to reach 7 points from there, will win the set. Do you understand it better already?
But how many points does a tennis game have? How does scoring work in tennis matches?
Tennis games are concise, and winning one of these is not as easy as it sounds, especially if you have a challenging opponent. To win a game of tennis you need to win 4 points in a row if you don’t want your opponent to draw you and take a “blank game” (win 40-0) The scores in the games of tennis matches are as follows:
- 15-0 or 15-15
- 30-0, 30-15, or 30-30.
- 40-0, 40-15, 40-30 0 40-40
- If the game reaches 40-40, it will be necessary to play until one of the tennis players wins by a difference of two points, for this, the “Advantage” (advantage) is used, that is, if you win two more points, you win the game. Now, if you are in the lead and lose the point, you would go back to 40-40, and the process would be repeated until one of the two tennis players wins two points in a row.
So how many sets does a tennis match have?
Did we answer everything? No, we still have to tell you the number of sets that each tennis match has. When you understand what I’ll let you know now, you will understand much better the scoring system of tennis and have a better idea of the length of a tennis match common.
The first thing you have to know is that to win a tennis match, you must know if you are going to play the best of 3 sets or the best of 5 sets. Best-of-3 tennis matches are like most Masters 1000, 500, and 250 or less. However, the best-of-5 games are played in the Grand Slams and the famous Davis Cup.
Come to the point, if you were playing in a tennis tournament to the best of 5 sets, your goal would be to win three sets before your opponent to take the match as long as your opponent gets no impetrate to 2-2 (two equal sets) that then everything will be decided in the fifth and last set, the die is cast. It is crucial that you have at your disposal one of the best tennis strings of this year to increase the force when hitting the tennis ball. Examples of scoreboard could be 3-0, 3-1, 3-2 (or vice versa).
On the other hand, if you are going to play a best-of-3-set tennis match, you will have to continue giving it your all on the tennis court until you win two sets before your opponent, regardless of whether your opponent wins a set. You will see this better with an example: (6-3 3-6 7-5) you have won two sets, and your opponent has won one.
So, how long does a tennis match last?
In general, best-of-5 matches can last up to 5 hours on average, or if the match lasts for three sets then it can take two hours or so. I already told you in the introduction of this article that it is not easy at all to approximate the time that an average tennis match lasts because it not only depends on the ability of the players but also on the tournament and on whether it is a male or female match.
Especially for the Grand Slams and Davis Cup, since it is the best of 5, the first to reach three sets is the winner of the match. If one of the players won 3-0 at an average pace, the tennis match would not last much more than 2 hours. Now, in the case of women, since they do not play five sets due to tennis rules that do not allow it (this may change), the best of 3 matches can last between 1 and 2 hours. I leave a wide margin since it depends a lot on whether only two sets are played, or three are played.
Although this varies a lot. And as you should know, in every approach, there are exceptions such as the typical and famous tennis match played by players Nicolas Mahut and John Isner in the 2010 Wimbledon tournament that lasted more than 11 hours. This was the longest tennis match in history.
Do you want to know how they turned out and how the winner reacted? Watch this video to see this unique and impossible match due to the new rules implemented in the Grand Slams that you can see here.
In the WTA (the women’s competition), the longest match in the history of the WTA played in 1984, lasted about six and a half hours. But in general, women’s tennis matches do not usually exceed the two and a half hours of tennis. I leave you a page for you to see the longest women’s tennis matches of last season.
