Have mercy! Anderson and Isner demand rule change after Wimbledon epic

Kevin Anderson and John Isner called for Grand Slam chiefs to introduce a cut-off point for final set marathons after their Wimbledon semi-final entered the record books as the second longest ever singles match at a major.

Anderson survived Friday's incredible endurance test, beating Isner 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (9/11), 6-4, 26-24 in six hours and 36 minutes.

The final set lasted just five minutes short of three hours.

The 32-year-old Anderson is the first South African man to reach the Wimbledon final for 97 years.

But he has little time to rest his aching body before facing Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal in Sunday's final.

And he made it clear Grand Slam tournament organisers should consider a rule change -- perhaps introducing a tie-break at 6-6 -- to make the deciding set of five-set matches less gruelling.

"I hope this is a sign for Grand Slams to change. For us to be out there for that length of time. I really hope we can look at this, because at the end you don't feel great," said Anderson who has been on court for over 21 hours at these championships.

He had also gone five sets to beat eight-time champion Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, winning the decider 13-11.

"Just playing like that in those conditions was tough on both of us.

"If I was on the opposite (losing) side I don't know how you take it.

"I have to recover as much as I can for the final now."