Day Late, Not a Pound Short: McEnroe and Stich Win Longest Doubles

John McEnroe turned overtime at Wimbledon into a carnival Monday when he won his fifth doubles title before a packed crowd.

The fans were allowed in free as Wimbledon was forced to play an extra day to finish matches delayed by bad weather.

McEnroe gave them a show, as he and partner Michael Stich won the longest Wimbledon doubles final ever.

The unseeded duo beat fourth-seeded Americans Jim Grabb and Richie Reneberg, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 19-17, in 5 hours 1 minute. The match was suspended by darkness Sunday night at 13-13 in the fifth set.

The match was 13 games longer than the previous record, set in 1968--before tiebreakers--when John Newcombe and Tony Roche defeated Ken Rosewall and Fred Stolle, 3-6, 8-6, 5-7, 14-12, 6-3, in an all-Australian match.

In the mixed doubles final, which was also postponed until Monday, third-seeded Cyril Suk of Czechoslovakia and Larisa Savchenko-Neiland of Latvia downed the Dutch duo of Jacco Eltingh and Miriam Oremans, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2.

McEnroe, winner of singles titles in 1981, ’83 and ‘84, also won doubles championships with Peter Fleming in 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1984. But he lost to Andre Agassi in the singles semifinals last week, and Stich surrendered the title he won last year.

“Winning the doubles is the best way possible to get over losing the singles,” McEnroe said. “This is not what I had in mind. But to win a Grand Slam title is incredible. I’m very happy.”

McEnroe suggested he and Stich should go for two consecutive Grand Slam doubles titles.

“I think it would be appropriate to play the (U.S.) Open,” he said. “To stop now would be crazy.”

McEnroe and Stich saved two match points at 6-7 Sunday.

The set went to 17-17 before there was a service break. It came on a classic McEnroe touch shot, a forehand topspin lob that floated over Reneberg’s head.

McEnroe served out the match in the next game. When Reneberg hit a return into the net at match point, Stich grabbed McEnroe around the waist and held him aloft in celebration.

The fans stood and applauded as McEnroe and Stich walked around the court holding their trophies high.

McEnroe, 33, has said this is his last full year on the tour. But he left the way open for a return to Wimbledon.

“I will be back here, but I’m not sure in what capacity,” he said. “I would say that the odds are very strong that I will come back and try to play the doubles.

“I don’t discount the possibility of playing singles here next year.”

McEnroe praised the new singles champion.

“People will realize now how great a tennis player Andre is,” McEnroe said.

Agassi won his first Grand Slam title Sunday by countering the booming serves of Croatian Goran Ivanisevic with spectacular winners from the backcourt in scoring a five-set victory.

“The way he did it was so phenomenal just to stay back,” McEnroe said. “For these couple of weeks to just play that way is unbelievable. It’s good for tennis.”