Wimbledon, June 17: The longest match rematch is coming to Wimbledon next week after John Isner and Nicolas Mahut were drawn Friday to face each other in the first round.
Last year, the pair played the longest match in tennis history at the All England Club, with Isner winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68 in a first-round match that stretched over three days.
The match last year was played on Court 18, and a new plaque this year commemorates the epic contest, which lasted 11 hours, 5 minutes.
“Isner vs mahut drawing each other in the first round after last year is the most amazing thing I've seen in tennis! Centre court anyone?!” fourth-seeded Andy Murray said on Twitter.
Murray will face Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain in the first round, and could meet Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. The second-seeded Serb will first face Jeremy Chardy of France.
Top-seeded defending champion Rafael Nadal was drawn to face Michael Russell of the United States. He could meet six-time champion Roger Federer in the semifinals. Federer will face Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan in the first round.
In the women's draw, seventh-seeded Serena Williams and big sister Venus Williams are in opposite halves, setting up the possibility for a fifth sibling final at the All England Club.
The sisters have won nine of the past 11 Wimbledon finals. Serena, who has won four, is 3-1 against five-time champion Venus in the final match. AP
