Wimbledon: tragic morality tale

Xan Brooks had the unenvious task of liveblogging (as the kids like to say) Wimbledon yesterday when the longest match in history between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut was in progress. The tiebreaker for the fifth set was tied at 59-59 (that's games, not points) when it was called for darkness, to resume today. As the match wore on, Brooks himself descended into brilliant lunacy. Some examples:

On and on they go. Soon they will sprout beards and their hair will grow down their backs, and their tennis whites will yellow and then rot off their bodies. And still they will stand out there on Court 18, belting aces and listening as the umpire calls the score. Finally, I suppose, one of them will die.

and

The scoreboard is barely visible through the grass and weeds and trails of Spanish moss. It shows that John Isner and Nicolas Mahut are locked at 37 games each in the final set.

I'm wondering if maybe an angel will come and set them free. Is this too much to ask? Just one slender angel, with white wings and a wise smile, to tell them that's it's all right, they have suffered enough and that they are now being recalled. The angel could hug them and kiss their brows and invite them to lay their rackets gently on the grass. And then they could all ascend to heaven together. John Isner, Nicolas Mahut and the kind angel that saved them.

It's the best piece of spontaneous writing we've seen in a long time. Yesterday's blog appears here, with the fun beginning around 3:45. Check it.