The match that would never end - Module 9

C2 Proficiency · Multiple Choice Reading · Expert Proficiency, Pearson Education

You are going to read an extract from a magazine article. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

If you go to the Wimbledon tennis museum, next to the famous courts where the international tournament is played each year, you can see clips and images of all the major champions. The display that attracts most attention, however, features two players who never won a title there. In 2010, Nicolas Mahut and John Isner played the most extraordinary match in the tournament's history. I was lucky enough to be there. Yet curiously, it's not an image that I recall from the match, but a sound. At seemingly incongruous moments, the spectators collectively emitted a nervous giggle, something higher and finer than laughter. It was the noise of people watching a tightrope walk, not a tennis match. And it told you one thing: they were on the edge of their seats, enthralled by the idea that a result could sit on a knife edge for so long. It's usually impossible for professional tennis matches to go on for eleven hours. The rules at major tournaments provide for tie-breakers, designed to end the stalemate if no player wins by a clear margin after a given number of games. Wimbledon is one of only three major tournaments to play men's singles with no tie-breaker. Although in theory, matches could go on forever, most finish within a predictable time frame. Few people expected a classic on that warm Tuesday evening. The gangly Isner was fancied to beat the low-ranked Mahut in routine fashion. When the players walked onto court to light applause, Mahut fidgeted with the necklace underneath his Lacoste shirt. Isner, dressed in baggy whites and backwards cap, looked disarmingly languid. There was no hint of the epic struggle to come. When play was suspended for bad light, the score was level, with no clear victor emerging. The following day, the match continued in the same vein, with neither player able to break the deadlock. Some spectators began to split into partisan camps, whilst others started to get anxious for the players, especially Isner, who appeared shattered. He could still hit the ball cleanly but between points he staggered around, often with a towel hanging out of his mouth. Mahut meanwhile, skipped out of his chair at the restarts and sprinted for every ball. That contrast in body language is what stays with me as an abiding image. 'I could see he was very tired,' remembers Mahut. 'I was tired too, of course, but I wanted him to think I was unstoppable. It was a second fight, a psychological fight.' Meanwhile, news of the extraordinary match had trickled around the championship. Spectators began to jostle for room in the standing area above the official seating. In the wider world, too, the pair had caught the public imagination – the drama had hypnotised them and the pair had officially entered the record books. During the latter stages of Wednesday's play, Isner couldn't believe how Mahut managed to keep going. The answer was adrenalin. Mahut remembers sitting down at the changeover and 'feeling the electricity from the crowd'. By Thursday morning, the seemingly endless tennis match had gone viral – the eyes of the world were upon them. How did it feel to play tennis like that? 'It was the biggest moment of my life,' says Mahut, gravely. 'It was magical.' He still finds the moment of defeat difficult to discuss. 'In my mind, it was the only tennis match I have ever played where I knew I couldn't lose,' he says. 'So, when I did...' Certainly, in the immediate aftermath, he suffered a breakdown, weeping inconsolably in the locker room. Finding it hard to stand or breathe, he kept asking the same question: 'Did I lose the match, or did he win it?' A week later, Mahut sent Isner an email, telling him he showed 'incredible fair play' throughout, and 'real class' by celebrating his victory in a humble manner. He also thanked Isner, because the match had taught him that 'everything that had been written about my physical and mental boundaries was wrong'. These lessons, however, were slow to register, with Mahut experiencing injuries and depression before recovering his form as a player. The match inspires, rather than haunts him: 'I can see now that this isn't going into the history books as a loss or a win, but because we both achieved something unbelievable.' Oddly, Isner now finds the match more painful to discuss than Mahut. 'I'm trying to get over it, in my head,' he says. 'I want to be remembered for more than that one match.'

It revealed the effect the match was having on them.

It seemed to represent a spontaneous group response.

It reflected their frustration with the scoring system.

It marked a turning point in the match for the players.

Why does the writer mention a sound made by spectators?

emphasise the fact that the two players were virtually unknown.

underline how unprepared the spectators were for what followed.

provide readers with an insight to the atmosphere at tournaments.

suggest why the players were unable to finish the match that day.

The writer describes the scene at the start of the match in order to

struck by the contrast in the two players' behaviour.

touched by the anxiety the crowd showed towards Isner.

concerned about the signs of exhaustion from both players.

impressed that the spectators supported both Mahut and Isner.

On the second day of play, the writer recalls feeling

the crowd was distracting the players.

interest in the tennis itself had waned.

a milestone in tennis history had been reached.

the players' commitment was beginning to flag.

The writer suggests that, by the end of the second day

totally exhausted.

utterly devastated.

extremely relieved.

incredibly inspired.

According to the writer, after the match Mahut felt

a feeling of empathy has developed between the two players.

Mahut now regards the match as a wholly positive experience.

it took both players so long to get over the effects of the match.

Isner has difficulty coming to terms with the impact of the match.

In the final paragraph, the writer reveals his surprise that

The match that would never end

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