The longest match ever played at Wimbledon lasted five hours, 12 minutes and included 112 games. It's a record never likely to be beaten because of the introduction of tie-breaks.
The amazing thing is that if would have been even longer had not Gonzales had a tantrum and thrown the second set because the umpire Harold Duncombe refused to go off for bad light at the end of the day, despite three requests for him to call referee Captain Mike Gibson.
Gonzales, who had won the US Open 20 years earlier, was 41 at the time and in those days they did not sit down at the change of ends, but simply wiped the perspiration away, downed a mouthful of barley water and got on with it.
When they returned for the second day, Gonzales, who had coached Pasarell, was two sets down. But he wrapped up the third set 16-14 when the younger man hit two double faults. By this time the crowd, who had booed Gonzales for his complaints at the end of the first day, got right behind him. He cruised through the fourth but again went into overtime in the fifth.
Pasarell squandered seven match points and Gonzales twice managed to escape from 0-40 in spectacular style in the final set. An exhausted Gonzales still managed to win his next two rounds before losing to fellow American Arthur Ashe.
