Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut (French pronunciation: [nikɔla pjɛʁ aʁmɑ̃ may]; born 21 January 1982) is a French former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 1 in men's doubles, holding the top ranking for a total of 39 weeks. Mahut is a five-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, having completed the career Grand Slam with victories at the 2015 US Open, 2016 Wimbledon Championships, 2018 French Open, and 2019 Australian Open, all partnering Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
The pair also won the 2021 French Open and finished runners-up at the 2015 Australian Open, and Mahut was runner-up at the 2013 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon Championships, with Michaël Llodra and Édouard Roger-Vasselin respectively. Mahut won 37 doubles titles overall, including the 2019 and 2021 ATP Finals. He also won seven Masters 1000 titles in doubles.
In singles, Mahut reached a career-high ATP ranking of world No. 37 in May 2014, and won four tour-level titles, all on grass courts. His best major result in singles was at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships, where he reached the fourth round. At the 2010 Championships, Mahut was part of the longest match in professional tennis history, against John Isner in the first round. Isner defeated him 70–68 in the fifth set after over 11 hours of play.
Nicolas Mahut was born in 1982 in Angers, France. He first trained at the Beaucouzé tennis club when he was five years old. He joined a tennis club in Paris when he was 11. He currently lives in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb of Paris near the grounds of Roland Garros. He met his wife Virginie in 2007 and she gave birth to their son Natanel (Nathanaël) on 18 August 2011. Mahut became good friends with the American tennis player John Isner, after they played together in the longest professional tennis match ever at Wimbledon 2010, which lasted over 11 hours. He was coached by former professional players Gabriel Urpí and Jérôme Haehnel. He is currently coached by Nicolas Copain and Nicolas Renavand.
Mahut had excellent junior results, winning the Orange Bowl in 1999 and the Wimbledon Boys' Singles in 2000, turning professional the same year. His career-high singles ranking is world No. 37, achieved in July 2014. Mahut was runner-up to Andy Roddick at the 2007 Queen's Club Championships, and runner-up that same year at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, in Newport, Rhode Island. In June 2013, he won his first ATP singles title, winning the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships in the Netherlands, and he followed it up in July by winning the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island.
Mahut is known for being part of the longest match in professional tennis history against John Isner in the first round of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. He holds a number of tennis records and awards for the match, including the most points won in a single match (502) and most games won by a losing player (91).
Mahut is also a prolific doubles player, reaching a career high of world No. 1 on 6 June 2016. He has won doubles titles with countrymen Julien Benneteau, Arnaud Clément, and Édouard Roger-Vasselin, before his most successful and current partnership with Pierre-Hugues Herbert. In 2013, he and Michaël Llodra lost the final of the French Open. In 2015, Mahut, with Pierre-Hugues Herbert,
lost the final of the Australian Open but won the US Open doubles title. In 2016, with Pierre-Hugues Herbert, he won the Wimbledon doubles title.
In 1998, Mahut was champion of France for 15- and 16-year-olds and the 17- and 18-year-olds. 1999 saw Mahut win the Orange Bowl doubles title. In addition, Mahut was the winner of the Sunshine Cup, the 35th Coffee Bowl, and the Coupe Galéa-Valério. In Grand Slams, he won the 2000 Wimbledon Championships Boys' Singles, the 2000 Australian Open Boys' Doubles (alongside Tommy Robredo) and the 1999 US Open Boys' Doubles (alongside Julien Benneteau).
As a junior Mahut posted a 93–33 record in singles and a 76–21 record in doubles. He reached as high as No. 3 in singles and No. 1 in doubles (in January 2000 and December 1999 respectively).
Mahut made his grand slam debut at the 2000 French Open. He won three minor titles on the ITF Men's Circuit.
2003: Breaking the 100 and first doubles title
2003 saw Mahut leapfrog in the rankings to breaking the top 100. September saw him collect his first doubles title at the Open de Moselle.
2004: US open doubles semifinal & second doubles title
The highlight of his season was making the doubles semifinal at the 2004 US Open, losing to eventual champions Mark Knowles & Daniel Nestor.
2005: Breaking the doubles top 25
January saw him ranked up to 25th in the world, a career high he wouldn’t break until 2013. In February, at the Cherbourg Challenger in Cherbourg, France he defeated future 24 time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic in 3 sets.
2006: Return to top singles 100