As part of sports reporter David Watkins’ new series at KARE 11 called “Record Wreckers,” Watkins and fellow sports reporter Eric Perkins broke the world record for longest tennis match ever played.

In 36 hours, 36 minutes and 36 seconds, one could drive from Los Angeles, Calif. cross-country to Pittsburgh, Pa. or from St. Peter, Minn. all the way north to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territory of Canada. KARE 11 sports reporters David Watkins and Eric Perkins chose to use this amount of time in a much more effective manner—breaking a world record.

Beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, May 3 and lasting until about 10:10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 4, Watkins and Perkins broke the record for the world’s longest tennis match ever played by briefly outlasting the previous record for the world’s longest tennis match at 36 hours, 36 minutes and 36 seconds. Watkins and Perkins played for 36 hours and 40 minutes. Over the duration of the match, they played 68 sets and 517 games. Perkins won 65 sets and Watkins won 3.

The idea to break the world record blossomed from a KARE 11 sports story a couple months ago about the longest tennis match ever played. From that point, Watkins developed a proposal to pitch to KARE 11 about a new segment called “Record Wreckers” that would honor different people in Minnesota attempting to break different world records. Watkins and Perkins decided to kick off the segment by breaking a world record of their own.

“Perk and I got to talking [after the kicker aired], and we thought, ‘We can do that.’ Here we are just a couple months later, and we are going big and for entertainment value,” Watkins said.

“We are both competitive by nature. David’s the one that thought we could take it the extra mile and actually break the record,” Perkins said.

Watkins and Perkins decided to bring the world record right to the courts of the Gustavus campus at the Swanson Tennis Center to honor legendary tennis coach Steve Wilkinson.

“As entertaining as the world record is, it’s cooler to find a nice story. There is no one with a better story than Steve Wilkinson. It amazes me what he is going through, and he is still involved with the campus and the tennis team. He is such an inspiration to anyone [who] ever met him. Gustavus was the perfect fit, and it was an easy choice,” Watkins said.

“I think it’s nice they are doing it in recognition of me, but mainly it’s about the excitement of two people interested in setting a world record,” Wilkinson said. “It just so happens they picked the tennis mecca of Minnesota at Swanson, and they are choosing to feature my record.”

Watkins and Perkins recruited Wilkinson to coach them on the technicalities of tennis techniques and rules. “[Wilkinson] showed us a thing or two about tennis and the proper way to hit a tennis ball, and if we hit it properly, we have less chance to get hurt. He also helped mentally prepare us for the event,” Watkins said.

“I think of Steve as Yoda from Star Wars. He has so much knowledge about the game, and I don’t want to let him down. I want to finish this event to complete my Jedi Knight training,” Perkins said.

Wilkinson was honored to be a part of this record-breaking event. “The approach on this is that I have a lot of coaching accomplishments. I have not coached the world’s longest tennis match,” Wilkinson said.

Wilkinson coached them to maintain a positive attitude in all circumstances, even going so far as painting smiley faces on each of their racquets. “They came down and we went over some of the things they should think about: taking full advantage of the 20 seconds [between points], making the center of the court be the target, high consistency and reducing the amount of running. They need be certain they get the adequate amount of liquid and energy food available as they switch sides and keep playing,” Wilkinson said.

In addition to working with Wilkinson and current Gustavus Men’s Head Tennis Coach Tommy Valentini on tips and strategies in preparation for the event, Watkins and Perkins also visited Doctor Jamie Peters at Fairview Sports and Orthopedic Care. They received tennis elbow straps and mini-physicals to ensure they were in shape to complete the 36-hour plus tennis event.

Many people don’t realize the amount of work that went into this event beforehand, largely in part to the work of Gustavus Sports Information Director Tim Kennedy. Kennedy acted as the official witness for the record-breaking event and helped provide anything for Watkins and Perkins throughout the tennis match. “They needed someone to act as a representative for Guinness. I marked all the breaks they took including the time they began and the time they ended. I kept the official score of every set, and I had to be here from beginning to end to witness the event,” Kennedy said.

Gustavus took every opportunity to be gracious hosts for the record wreckers. “David and I have been showered with hospitality since we got here. They are customizing our Gatorade flavors and providing everything from Red Bull to lots of new cans of tennis balls to Dr. Scholl’s insoles for our shoes,” Perkins said.

In return, Gustavus was able to receive plenty of publicity as hosts for the event. “We always talk about visibility for the college, especially in the Twin Cities. For the last three days, KARE 11 covered the event, our college on the day before the event and then at its 4, 5, 6 and 10:00 p.m. broadcasts during the event. They recognized Wilkinson and his impact  in the Gustavus community, and people saw the type of spirit Gustavus students have. People saw what Gustavus was all about,” Kennedy said.

At the moment the record was broken, Watkins and Perkins raised their hands in triumph and proceeded to do the only logical thing—play another tennis point. Then, they gingerly approached the net and shook hands and celebrated their accomplishment of setting a new world record as Gustavus students cheered them on. Shouts of “Perk-at-play” and “Watkins” came from the crowd, along with a rendition of the Gustie Rouser.

Watkins gingerly walked around the court to greet fans, celebrate the record and even sign a couple autographs. “I feel relieved. Relieved because so much went into the event on Gustavus’ part, on KARE 11’s part and personally, I was invested heavily in the event. For it to go so smoothly, I am just so relieved,” Watkins said. “From 2:00 a.m. to about 7:00 a.m., there were about four times where I said ‘Is it worth it?’ In this dome, there was no natural light, and it was hard to keep going. I’m happy we pulled through and accomplished the record.”

Before the match, Perkins knew there was only one thing that would help them succeed. “This morning I came to the realization that we will only make it if we have fun. It’s so accurate.”

Watkins and Perkins were definitely able to have fun. Through all the aches and cramps, Perkins’ cut out shoes for the blisters on his toes and the lack of sleep, they were able to wreck the record for the longest tennis match ever played with spirit and determination, while honoring a legend in the Gustavus community as well as the tennis realm. They accomplished the feat not only with smiles on their faces but also on their racquets.