Wimbledon witnesses new Grand Slam record for five-set men's matches

Daniil Medvedev's triumph against top-ranked Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon on Tuesday marked a new professional era Grand Slam record, becoming the 36th men's match this year to extend to five sets.

The fifth-seeded Russian required precisely four hours to secure his spot in the semifinals, where he is set to face Spain's Carlos Alcaraz.



Alcaraz, the reigning champion, also found himself pushed to five sets in his third-round encounter with Frances Tiafoe.

With five men's singles matches still to be played at this year's Wimbledon, it would come as no surprise if more prolonged contests were to unfold. When asked about his thoughts on the high number of extended matches at this year's rain-affected Wimbledon, Medvedev suggested that the playing surface might be a contributing factor.



"I don't know. Maybe the level is closer than before," said Medvedev. "In my opinion, grass is always a surface where it's very tough to win like straight three sets. One break can decide the outcome of the set. You do one bad game on your serve, double-fault, easy miss or something like this, you lose the set."

Thanasi Kokkinakis emerged victorious in the most extended men's singles match of the year, overcoming Felix Auger-Aliassime in a grueling five-set battle. The intense encounter spanned an mammoth four hours and 38 minutes, testing the endurance and determination of both the players.