Are you into spread betting? More particularly, are you into spread betting on tennis? How does a match that has gone for 163 games sound? Normally, especially in the last set, you could expect to see a 6-4, or perhaps 7-5, scoreline. Occasionally, it gets out to 9-7 or even 10-8. At Wimbledon, you get the occasional match that gets into the 20-20 area. However, this week at Wimbledon we have a match that is still going, and currently tied at 59-59 in the fifth set. That, by the way, is no misprint – 59 games each in the final set. Not only that, there has been no break of service since the second set, the third and fourth going to tie breaks.

Spread betting, of course, is all about betting margins, not on outcomes. Here are a few statistics from this match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut that will probably never be beaten:

• 144 games without a break in service
• 163 games in total
• 10-plus hours of play
• 98 aces served by a single player (Isner)
• Two marathon matches in a row – Mahut defeated Alex Bogdanovic 24-22 in the fifth set to qualify here
• Three consecutive days of continuous play for one match (excludes rain and other interruptions)

And, of course, the match is not over. Both players could barely walk off the court at the end of day 2, both totally drained. For those betting on spreads, taking a bet on the longest match going more than 50 games in the final set, or more than 100 games all up, would be loving every minute of the match.

This contest has so caught people’s attention that even greats like Roger Federer took time out to sit down and watch the contest. It’s enthralling, it’s a supreme challenge and, unfortunately, one will walk away a loser – at least on paper. From the crowd’s perspective, they are both heroes. For punters, spread betting on margins can see some big losses, and some huge wins. Are you on the winner?