Fresh off legendary match, Isner looks to impress
Riding high on the fame and recognition brought on by his record-breaking victory against Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon, American tennis star John Isner readies to impress at upcoming major tournaments, most notably the upcoming US Open beginning at the end of August. If he focuses on improving his footwork and serve-and-volley games, Isner has the opportunity to play (and defeat) fellow Americans Andy Roddick and Sam Querrey.
Claim to Fame
Isner recently made history at Wimbledon 2010 for winning the longest recorded professional tennis match. He defeated Frenchman Nicolas Mahut with a final score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68 after 11 hours and five minutes of total playtime. The match was suspended on 23 June for the second day ina row due to darkness while the players were at 59–59 in set five. The third day of the match resumed the following day on 23 June at 14:30pm GMT.
Besides claiming victory of the longest-ever tennis match, Isner made another record for most aces in a single match, hammering out an astounding 113 aces, to break the previous record of 78 aces, set by Ivo Karlovic.
Despite a series of first and second round losses throughout the year, Isner nevertheless accumulated enough points on tour to allow him direct entry into his first Grand Slam tournament at the French Open 2010 at Roland Garros.
Background
Hailing from Greensboro, North Carolina, while Isner will undoubtedly go down as the man who beat Mahut in the longest professional tennis match ever played at Wimbledon 2010, that isn't the only reason fans should care about him. Having stayed away from superstar status that his peers enjoy, Isner has nevertheless claimed several outstanding victories and titles throughout his professional career, including a win over Roddick at the US Open in 2009.
Isner began playing tennis at the age of nine. He has two older brothers, one of which is a professional tennis player turned tennis coach. Isner started his professional tennis career in 2007, needing wild card entries into each major tournament, due to his less than impressive seeding of No 839 in the world.
Isner is currently ranked at No 18 on the ATP tour, and is ranked the second best American player after Roddick.
Isner claimed his first ATP tour title at the Heineken Open in 2010, defeating Arnaud Clement with a score of 6–3, 5–7, 7–6(2). This victory was crucial in Isner’s resulting entry into the world’s top 30 players.
Style
Isner is known for his powerful serve and masterful play close at net. His commanding height of 6ft 9in is undoubtedly a huge advantage in this respect. His arrow-sharp service trajectory is aided by his significant weight transfer towards the ball, with him being almost entire inside the baseline upon making contact with the ball.
He tends to stay away from lengthy serve-and-volleys, using his dominating strength to disorient his opponents right from the first serve. Some critics claim that Isner’s inability to put his opponent away contributed to the unnecessarily prolonged length of his match with Mahut. Isner responded to the shots, but his lack of skill in resolving game points let the match drag on. A point which is often overshadowed by his impressive number of aces throughout the match. He is not necessarily known for his on court finesse and elegance, and certainly has a long way to go in fine-tuning all aspects of his game before he stands among the ranks of Federer or Nadal.
Isner does have a masterful backhand which allows him to spin the ball past his opponents to the back of the court, giving him time to recuperate between points, while disorienting the other player.
He has donated a portion of his winnings to charitable causes, most recently giving $5000 from his win at the 2010 Heineken Open to support trauma relief efforts in Haiti.
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