Playing the long game: The world record tennis marathon

Self-proclaimed “tennis amateurs”, Glenn Pope and Jamie Blair, are attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest game of singles tennis ever played. The current record sits at 80 hours and 48 minutes, over 3 days of continuous play! The two mates already hold the doubles tennis world record of 61 hours and 15 minutes, and now they are swinging for the singles top spot.

We sat down with Glen and Jamie about their preparations for the event and the looming sleep deprivation, hallucinations, blisters, cramps, and exposure that they are going to put their bodies through, all to raise funds and awareness for Movember.

Thanks for chatting with us Glenn and Jamie before the big event. Tell us a bit about yourselves and your friendship.

Jamie:

Thanks, so Glenn and I met about 25 years ago. We both joined the Air Force at the same time. We were both stationed in New South Wales and have been mates ever since. Funnily enough we didn’t meet through tennis and only started playing together before our last world record attempt in 2019. Neither of us consider ourselves tennis players. But in only two matches we are going to notch up over 140 hours on court each. We obviously just like putting ourselves through a bit of pain for a good cause.

Can you tell us about your last record attempt in 2019, and some of the lessons learnt?

Glenn:

So, in 2019 we successfully broke the world record for the longest game of doubles tennis. It was an absolute slog. We prepared the best we could, but our bodies and minds battled. It didn’t help that it was nearly 50 degrees on court during the day. All of us started hallucinating at different times because of the sleep deprivation.

Jamie:

I actually thought I was in a pinball machine at one stage. I was moving all round the court, facing the wrong way, and standing in the wrong position.

Glenn:

Yeh, and I thought there was a rock on the court next to me that I had to jump over. So, I guess a big learning is around how we manage our breaks and sleep. You only get a 5-minute break every hour. But you can accumulate that so we can have a bit of a longer rest at times. We also need to take care of our equipment, body, and mostly our feet. Blisters were a big issue last time. Especially because this time round we might be dealing with wet weather instead of the heat. We play rain or shine.

Jamie:

We have to shout out our playing partners in the doubles record attempt too, Hannah and Katie from the Movember team. They came in at the last minute to be a part of the record attempt and absolutely smashed it. If I remember correctly, they won the match, about 110 sets to 80, or something ridiculous like that.

So how are you preparing to play tennis for 3 days straight?

Jamie:

Again, the benefits of already going through a similar event are huge. We have been reading up on the mental preparation of Navy Seals and how they deal with sleep deprivation. One thing I have been doing to prepare is setting an alarm in the middle of the night and going for a run or a walk. That’s more about doing something hard when you don't want to do it because that's the sort of stuff that sort of gets you through when times get tough.

Glenn:

We've both spent a lot of time walking with our tennis rackets. You've just got to get used to doing it. Whilst they're only light, just holding something and swinging something for that long has a major impact. We are both planning to use our right and left hand throughout the attempt, so we have been practising for that also.

Jamie:

Oh yes, and obviously we’ve been playing a lot of tennis in preparation as well haha.

Can you take us through some of the rules and regulations for the tennis? Because from what I hear it is not your typical match.

Glenn:

Well firstly, just to be clear, the quality of tennis is not going to be great. It’s all about conserving your energy and making sure you are not extending yourself too much too early. But for the record to be submitted correctly we need to meet the rules and regulations set out by Guinness. The main ones are the whole match must be filmed, there must be a count-up clock visible in the video, we need a qualified umpire and two independent witnesses present throughout, we must keep the score, and make sure we don’t exceed our maximum break times.

Jamie:

Yes, and that includes toilet breaks. So, we are actually going to watch our hydration because we don’t want to drink too much and have to use the loo too often. Same goes for our fibre intake. Those were some more lessons from last time. But we are hoping to play right through the first day and night to accumulate up our break time and use that for some more solid sleep in the second and third days.

Why are you choosing to support Movember with this effort?

Jamie:

The world record is one thing, but the main focus is the money we raise and charities we can support. We’ve both known and supported Movember for years. We thought it was a no-brainer when it came to where the funds should go.

Glenn:

My personal reason is that coming up for three years now, my nephew died by suicide. Having seen what my sister, his mum, and his two little girls were five and three, just seeing what they’ve gone through, the upheaval and the grief it's caused them. So, this is an effort for them, to bring awareness, and raise some decent funds for Movember and the work they are doing in the mental health and suicide prevention space.

We appreciate the support guys. Last question, how did your wives take the news that you were going to attempt to break another Guinness World Record?

Jamie:

It took me a little while to tell my wife, Charmaine, that we were doing it again. But she has been a huge support. Charmaine, and my daughter, Isabel, are also doing a lot of work in terms of sponsorship and design and socials and logos and all that sort of stuff. All my kids and their partners will be coming down at certain stages to be part of the support crew.

Glenn:

Yes. I have plenty of family and friends attending also, which will be great. And with my wife, Diana, we now have an agreement; that when it's all over, we are never doing this again. Regardless of the outcome, successful or not, this is it. So, let's hope we go out with a bang!

Playing the Long Game - Event Details

25 - 28 APRIL 2024

NATIONAL TENNIS CENTRE, COURT 18

MELBOURNE, VIC

To show your support to Glenn and Jamie, visit their Mospace.