Wimbledon 2013: Woe for injured John Isner - the man known for winning longest match in history at SW19

Wednesday 26 June 2013 09:04 EDT

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John Isner is best known for winning the longest match in Wimbledon's history but today he played one of the shortest as he was forced to retire injured in the early stages of his second-round clash.

Follow game-by-game coverage as Andy Murray attempts to reach the third round with a victory over Yen-Hsun Lu

The 6ft 9in American famously edged Nicolas Mahut in a 70-68 final set in 2010 after 11 hours and five minutes of action spread over three days.

But today his challenge lasted just two games as the 18th seed abandoned his Court Three tussle with France's Adrian Mannarino.

Isner won the opener but he was showing signs of severe discomfort, with his left knee the problem.

The 28-year-old took a 10-minute break for treatment before attempting to carry on, but his movement was clearly restricted and Isner went to umpire Enric Molina at the end of the second game to confirm he could not go on, before shaking hands with Mannarino.

Explaining how his injury occurred, Isner said: "It was the third point of the match. I didn't do anything different. I went to serve, and I think it was as I landed.

"I always serve and land on my left leg, like I have done 20 million times playing this game, and this is the first time I just felt this sharp pain.

"It wasn't like a pop. There wasn't anything. It just grabbed really badly, and I knew I was in serious trouble then. I knew at that point it was not likely I was going to be able to play."

He self-diagnosed the problem as a tendon issue but does not expect to require surgery.

He said: "I just can't bend my knee. I can walk as long as I keep it straight."