John Isner has come a long way from humble beginnings in North Carolina. When picking up a tennis racket for the very first time, he could never have dreamed of scaling the heights that he was able to achieve.
Heights are something that he quickly grew accustomed to, with a 6ft 10in frame allowing him to stand head and shoulders above most competitors.
Those physical attributes were always going to be an ace in Isner’s pack, and he mastered the art of playing the strongest possible hand. Few opponents relished a meeting with the towering American, as they knew precisely what they were in for.
Competitive
An ace of a career!
Congratulations John Isner, enjoy your retirement. pic.twitter.com/SFt6GieCu1
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 31, 2023
Isner could never be considered a one-trick pony, but big-hitting was his weapon of choice. That did not always work in his favor, with market-leading prices within tennis betting odds from Betfair rarely secured as rivals found a way of countering his very obvious threat.
That is not to say that he was not fiercely competitive each and every time that he took to the court. A career-high ranking of No.8 in the world was hard earned in July 2018, with only elite performers able to break their way into the top 10.
Title triumphs were few and far between, with a semi-final run at Wimbledon in 2018 representing his best showing at a Grand Slam, but Isner boasted enough ability and longevity to pick up over $22 million in prize money during the course of his career.
That career came to end at the 2023 US Open – a tournament that Novak Djokovic is the -125 favorite to emerge victorious in – with the decision taken to head into retirement. Isner has earned the right to put his feet up and will be fondly remembered by those that have worked with and alongside him.
He has said of bowing out and what he is leaving behind: “What my legacy is? I’m not sure. I just want to be remembered most importantly from my colleagues, as a guy that’s pretty easy to get along with off court. I think I’ve had great relationships with the guys before me, my contemporaries, and then the young guys.”
Isner may not go down as an all-time great, but he does boast entries in the tennis history books that will stand the test of time and ensure that his legacy lives on for generations to come.
His most notable record was achieved back in 2010 – on the grass of Wimbledon once again. It was at that tournament that he took in an 11-hour, 5-minute epic with Nicholas Mahut – the longest match ever played.
Achievements
Quite a few of us have a bit more time on our hands at the moment…
So, we’re setting a challenge – can you watch all 11 hours and 5 minutes of Isner vs Mahut in one go?
We’ll be replaying the full match on YouTube at 11.45am (GMT) – tune in to see if you’re up to the task ????
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) March 26, 2020
That same contest allowed him to post a number of other achievements that will never be matched – 113 aces served in a single ATP/Grand Slam match, 85 aces hit in a set, 92 games won in a single match and 246 winners.
Those numbers went some way towards Isner finishing his career with an all-time high 14,411 aces and 505 tiebreaks won from the record-setting 839 that he took in.
They are some mind-boggling figures and ones that should ensure that there is forever a place in tennis folklore for the gentle giant from Greensboro.
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Originally posted 2023-10-01 04:12:13.