The French Open has produced some epic finals across the Open Era – but what have been the longest?
Here, we look at the longest Roland Garros finals by time, and by the number of games.
By time
Believe it or not, the longest French Open men’s singles final of the Open Era did not go to five sets.
At four hours and 42 minutes in length, Mats Wilander’s four-set triumph over Guillermo Vilas back in 1982 remains the longest by time over four decades on.
Unseeded and having never won a tour-level title previously, a 17-year-old Wilander stunned the tennis world with a 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-0, 6-4 over third seed and 1977 champion Vilas.
The match is remembered for Wilander’s historic triumph, with the tennis great remaining one of the youngest champions in tournament history.
However, it is not remembered for being a high-quality final, as the former world No 1 recalled back in 2022.
“I just remember that Vilas started choking more than I’ve ever seen,” said Wilander to TNT Sports.
“He was so tight. So I started to understand the guy’s choking and it gave me the freedom to start coming forward a little bit and coming to the net a little bit.
“We played four sets for four hours and 42 minutes. It was 1-6, 7-6, 6-0, 6-4. That’s not a lot of games.
“So it was just a disaster to watch for people. But I did not give a s***, right? So I never really understood that I was winning the French Open until literally, I hit the very last shot.”
Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev were not too far off Wilander and Vilas’ record in their final last year, with the Spaniard prevailing in four hours and 19 minutes.
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By games
In terms of the number of games played, the longest French Open men’s singles final of the Open Era came two years after Wilander and Vilas’ showdown.
The 1984 final pitted world No 1 and title favourite John McEnroe against Ivan Lendl, a man who had lost all four of his previous major finals.
McEnroe roared into a two-set lead and held a 4-2 lead in the fourth set, as he looked to win the French Open title that had previously eluded him.
However, defying all odds, future tennis legend Lendl rallied from his two-set deficit to claim the first of his eight Grand Slam titles, prevailing 3-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 7-5.
At 51 games in length, it remains the longest French Open final in terms of games played, and one of the longest of the Open Era.
The closest anyone has previously come to breaking this record was Novak Djokovic, in another comeback from two sets down in 2021.
The Serbian battled back to beat Stefanos 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, a final that was 48 games in length; the 2024 final between Alcaraz and Zverev was 44 games in length.
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