It took him three days, 112 aces and a score of 70-68, but but John Isner finally defeated Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon this morning, in the longest game of tennis in the history of the sport.

“When you play a match like this, in an atmosphere like this, you don’t feel tired out here, really, even though that’s exactly what we both were. This crowd was fantastic,” said the 24-year-old Isner to ESPN.

Despite the disappointing, hard-fought loss, Mahut was especially gracious regarding his opponent.

“The guy is an absolute warrior. … To be able to share this day with him was an absolute honor,” Mahut said.