’07 Legg Mason finalist becoming force on tour
John Isner burst onto the pro scene in epic fashion at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in 2007, and nearly every time he’s been in the spotlight in the four years since, the storyline has been equally enormous — and not just because of his height.
But as Isner improves at winning in not-so-dramatic fashion, which he’s done this summer, he’s becoming an ever bigger force on the ATP tour. Despite being the lowest ranked (No. 33) among the top nine players in this year’s Legg Mason, Isner is confident he can beat any of them. And winning will be crucial to claim a decent seed at this year’s U.S. Open.
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“I do feel more fresh this time around,” said Isner, who had an out-of-this-world 70-68, fifth-set win over Nicolas Mahut last year at Wimbledon.
| LEGG MASON TENNIS CLASSIC | ||
| When » Main draw, July 31 – Aug. 7 | ||
| Where » William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center | ||
| 2010 champions » Singles: David Nalbandian; Doubles: Mardy Fish/Mark Knowles | ||
Isner’s recent matches haven’t approached that territory. But his number of tiebreakers remains massively disproportionate and puts the five consecutive third-set tiebreaks he won to reach the ’07 Legg Mason final into context.
So far in 2011, Isner has a tiebreak record of 19-13, his 32 total second only to Nicolas Almagro’s 34 (19-15). Two of those came as the 6-foot-9 Isner pushed Rafael Nadal to a fifth set in the first round at the French Open. He had a tiebreak in four out of his five victories to capture the Hall of Fame Championship in Newport, R.I., earlier this month, the 26-year-old’s second career title, and he had four tiebreaks in four matches in Atlanta.
Only eight players out of more than 200 on tour have more than 20 this season. But thanks to his monster serve, the short duration of Isner’s points makes up for the volume.
“At his size, the physical toll is a little bit more than a guy that is 75 pounds less,” ESPN analyst Brad Gilbert said. “But he does have a pretty relaxed demeanor, and he doesn’t play that many long points. So he could play a 7-6 in the third that’s only like 2 hours and 15 minutes. I think he has a very good understanding of how to pace himself. He’s beautiful at that.”
Take for example, Isner’s preparation for serve: he casually bounces the ball between his legs without thinking, a move the North Carolina native attributes to playing basketball and has been doing since he was a young teenager, well before sprouting to his current height.
“It’s natural, and it gets me in a good rhythm,” Isner said. “Having really long legs helps too, I have a big target.”
But while Isner’s easy overhand power has him at the top of the ATP in service games won (90 percent), he’s second from the bottom in winning return games (12 percent), which is often how he ends up settling a match in a tiebreaker. Ahead, 5-1, in a second set tiebreak in the Atlanta final against Mardy Fish last week, Isner atypically wasted a pair of match points and ultimately collapsed.
Appropriately, he’d rather focus on the six of his previous eight victories that weren’t decided in a tiebreak but by doing just enough returning serve.
“I’m just more confident out there hitting bigger, better and smarter shots,” Isner said. “That’s what it comes down to. I think the last two tournaments, on average I was breaking about once a set. That’s really the ultimate goal, just one break a set, and with my serve, a lot of times, that’s enough.”
