Top five longest men's singles matches at Australian Open

Alcaraz’s win over Zverev in 2026 AO semis is now the third longest men’s singles match in Melbourne.

The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam or Major of a tennis season with the world’s top athletes vying to take part in the mega tournament. Top players arrive two weeks prior to the slam and play a few ATP tour events to get accustomed to the weather and conditions. Novak Djokovic holds the record of winning the most Australian Open titles (10).

The tournament has seen some exciting matches over the years and in this article let us look at the five longest matches played at the Australian Open.

Also Read: Top five longest tennis matches played in history

Longest men’s singles matches at Australian Open

5. Ivo Karlovic vs Horacio Zeballos, 2017 (5 hours and 22 minutes)

Ivo Karlovic, the 20th-seeded Croatian, beat Horacia Zeballos in a five-set marathon 6-7(6), 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 22-20. Karlovic fired down 75 aces which is a record for the Australian Open in a single match and also played out 42 games in the last set which is the longest to date. The fifth set alone took two hours and 37 minutes as 37-year-old Karlovic broke the Argentinian’s serve in the 42nd game of the set.

108 aces were served overall Karlovic (75) and Zeballos (33). A total of 84 games was played  in the five-setter which also became the highest number of games played in a single match at the Grand Slam.

4. Rafael Nadal vs Daniil Medvedev, 2022 (5 hours and 24 minutes)

Rafael Nadal took on the 2021 Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev in the finals. The Spaniard was in search of his second Australian Open title having won the previous title way back in 2009 defeating Roger Federer.

Nadal on his quest for glory did not start the match on a positive note losing the first two sets but came back strongly, to win the next three sets 2–6, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–4, 7–5. 

The title was special as Nadal was suffering from an injury for the past six months and did not play much tennis. This was Spaniard’s 21st grand slam title and became the first athlete to breach the 20-slams mark.

Also Read: Top five longest tennis matches in Grand Slam history ft. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal & more

3. Carlos Alcaraz vs Alexander Zverev, 2026 (5 hours and 27 minutes)

The battle to achieve something for the first time saw Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev produce one of the most memorable spectacles in tennis history at the Australian Open 2026 semi-final.

Alcaraz was fighting for his maiden final appearance at Australian Open, while Zverev was chasing his first-ever Grand Slam crown, after always ending his run just at the last moment.

The match lasted an incredible 5 hours and 27 minutes. In the end, the match went in the Spaniard’s favour as Alcaraz won 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 at the Rod Laver Arena.

The encounter became the longest semi-final in Australian Open history and the third-longest match ever played at the tournament.

2. Andy Murray vs Thanasi Kokkinakis, 2023 (5 hours and 45 minutes)

Andy Murray, the three-time grand slam champion from Great Britain, won the second-round battle against crowd favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis in five sets 4-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(5), 6-3, 7-5.

Murray defeated 13th-seed Matteo Berrettini in the first round (4 hours and 45 minutes) and played his second successive five-setter in the second round. The match which began around 11:00 PM ended at 4:06 AM local time.

The Brit had to come back from behind losing the first two sets and made an excellent return winning the next three sets. Murray for the past three years had been suffering from injuries, and many were expecting him to retire. The Scottish international defied all odds and won the match progressing to the third round.

Also Read: Top five longest Grand Slam finals in tennis history

1. Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal, 2012 (5 hours and 53 minutes)

The 2012 finals between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic was the longest match in the Australian Open history. The then world number one Djokovic defeated world number two Nadal 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7, 7–5 to win the tournament.

It was the longest major final match (by duration) in history, lasting 5 hours 53 minutes, overtaking the record previously set by the 1998 US Open final between Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendl.

The Serbian coming into the final played a marathon semi-final match against Andy Murray which lasted for 4 hours and 50 minutes. 

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