Two tennis players who have competed in the longest-ever match in the history of the sport may have deserved a whole hamper of champagne.

As it was, the duo - John Isner and Nicolas Mahut - were handed one bottle of bubbly each, bettor.com reports, after having competed against each other in the first-round Wimbledon contest for more than 11 hours.

Spread across three days, the bout included 183 games and resulted in Isner eventually defeating Mahut 70-68 in the fifth set.

The victor commented: "Nothing like this will happen again, not even come close."

Mahut claimed the clash was "the greatest match", before adding: "It was amazing."

The duo hugged at the net at the culmination of the tie, after Isner had sealed the win with a backhand passing shot down the line.

Contenders for the Wimbledon crown this year include Scotsman Andy Murray, the Spaniard Rafael Nadal and reigning champion Roger Federer, who hails from Switzerland.