Isner wishes Anderson luck in Wimbledon final

Kevin Anderson and John Isner fought for more than six and a half hours in a grueling Wimbledon semifinal match Friday - the second-longest match in tournament history. Anderson emerged the victor - 7-6 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-7 (9), 6-4, 26-24 - and gave a classy interview afterward, explaining how bad he felt for his opponent for losing after such a marathon match.

Saturday on Twitter, Isner not only thanked Anderson for responding to the epic with humility and empathy, but he also wished the South African player the "best of luck" in the final.

Class acts all around.

In the Wimbledon final Sunday, Anderson will face the winner of the Rafael Nadal-Novak Djokovic match, which continued from Friday to Saturday because of the long-delayed start time after Anderson and Isner's brutally long semifinal. Isner apologized for that too.

After his loss, Isner said of Anderson at his press conference:

"Hats off to Kevin. He stayed the course incredibly well and played very well. So it was a good win for him, and he earned it. … I competed hard - that's what it comes down to, and that's what I have to be proud of. Stinks to lose, but I gave it everything I had out there, and I just lost to someone who's just a little bit better at the end. "

Isner - a 33-year-old American player - holds the record for Wimbledon's longest match. In 2010, he played Nicolas Mahut for 11 hours and 5 minutes, but he won that time around.

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