5 tennis stars who have run a marathon

Caroline Wozniacki

When the longest recorded tennis match took place at Wimbledon in 2010, it was estimated that both the players, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut ran a distance of 6 miles during the 11 hours and 5 minutes of playing time. However, when it comes to normal tennis matches it is assumed that the players typically cover a distance of 3 miles or 5 km chasing down the ball!

Thus, one can easily say that all the tennis stars are runners in their own right as well, and expanding on the point, Sportskeeda looks at 5 such players who have completed a marathon!


#1 Caroline Wozniacki

She was probably the first active tennis player to run a marathon when she crossed the finish line at the New York City Marathon in 2014, ranked eighth in the world at that point in time. Just responding to her own whim of running a long distance run, Caroline who has playing the WTA finals until a week before the D-day admitted that she had not put in any kind of serious preparation going into the race.

She was quoted as saying, “Honestly, I think I've done everything you're not supposed to do before a marathon." she said. "I had a Halloween party three days ago and came back at like 4:00 in the morning. Two days ago I chilled a little bit, but I've been really busy.

“Last night I actually didn't have much of a dinner because I went to the Rangers game, and I just got a little bit [to eat]. You're supposed to load up on carbs, but I didn't really have too much time for that."

But despite this, the Danish star raced to the end with a respectable time of 3 hours and 26 minutes and was greeted at the finish line by another tennis superstar and her buddy Serena Williams. With her effort, Wozniacki raised more than $81,000 for a charity called Team for Kids.

#2 Amelie Mauresmo

Amelie Mauresmo

The former World Number 1 retired in the December of 2009 and ran her very firs marathon next year itself when she competed at the 2010 New York City Marathon alongside other tennis players such as Yannick Noah and Justin Gimelstob.

For a person who took her tennis career and fitness quite seriously, Mauresmo even prepped for the marathon with the same vigour and attitude under her former tennis trainers. And well, her efforts did pay off for she managed to clock a timing of 3 hours 40 minutes and 20 seconds over the 42-kilometre distance.

The former coach of Andy Murray followed up this feat by running the Paris Marathon on her home soil in 2012 and bettered her timing by a margin for she reached the finish line in 3 hours 16 minutes and forty-nine seconds.

#3 James Blake

James Blake

The retired tennis star who was famed for his quick and high-intensity style of play on the court completed the New York City Marathon in 2015 with a timing of 3 hours 51 minute and 19 seconds. When questioned about the difference in playing tennis at US Open and running the marathon in NYC, Blake was quoted as saying to ESPN, "It's a little different, but both are amazing. Here (at the marathon) they are cheering for so many people. The Open they are cheering for just you."

He was greeted at the finish line by his wife, daughter and another tennis star, Victoria Azarenka. However, after his unique experience, Blake joked around saying, "Never again," for long distance running in the future. With his run, the player raised funds for his own foundation which works for early detection cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

#4 Marion Bartoli

Marion Bartoli

The retired Wimbledon champion battled past her illness to run the New York City Marathon in 2016. In July, last year Bartoli has announced that she had been detected with a virus-related illness that did not allow her to eat and to touch electrical devices but she recovered from the same and four months later she ran for 42 kilometres without stopping.

Her determination and grit to just complete the entire stretch saw her notching up a time of 5 hours and 40 minutes. Bartoli’s efforts raised money for Team For Kids, an organisation which funds NYRR youth programs across the United States.

#5 Mats Wilander

Mats Wilander

The seven-time Grand Slam winner Mats Wilander, in a career spanning 16 years from 1980 to 1996, was a tennis star who was extremely familiar with marathon matches on the courts against the likes of John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl and others. But one thing that he did not attempt running during his playing days was the 26.2-mile marathon.

And hence, immediately after his retirement in 1996, Wilander lined himself up at the starting mark of the 1997 New York City Marathon. A force to reckon with as a player, Mats proved his worth as a runner too, completing the race in 4 hours 19 minutes and 19 seconds.

Edited by Staff Editor