Great sport. Or great drama?

Good things come to those who wait goes the tagline of a certain beverage. And never more has this phrase been more apt than to John Isner in his marathon 11 hour match with Nicolas Mahut.

Having played over three days, Isner finally broke Frenchman Mahut at the 69th time of asking to go through into the second round of Wimbledon. It's the longest ever game of tennis, but raises another question. Was it great sport or just great drama?

The fact that both players were able to hold serve so long suggests neither player was strong in receiving - something that become apparent as Isner was thrashed in straight sets in today's second round encounter with Thiemo de Bekker (although tiredness probably played a part!). So, I'd suggest Isner's match with Mahut was great drama, but not great sport.

It certainly captivated the public - all of the around 800 seats on Court No. 18 were taken - with many more packed on the rails overlooking the court. It's grabbed the attention of the media too. The conclusion of the match was aired live on BBC1 yesterday afternoon. I doubt you would have seen it if it was a straight sets victory.

The word 'great' is far too overused in sports media. Any above average performance is labelled as 'great'. Any event that is different from the norm also gets named with the same phrase. There's is no question that a final set of 138 games indeed is great drama, but true greatness in sport should still remain the title of few.