University of Georgia Athletics
Isner Enjoying Best Year Yet
July 25, 2018 | Men's Tennis, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
ATLANTA — One year ago, John Isner and I sat here in the lobby of the Twelve Hotel and talked about the legendary Georgia Bulldog's tennis career, about life on the pro tour, about keeping it going in his early 30s while dealing with a 6-foot-10 frame.
A lot can happen in a year.
At the time, back in town to reclaim his BB&T Atlanta Open crown after losing in the final the year before, Isner had been ranked around No. 20 in the world for the previous 15 months. That was still really, really good, still better than anyone thought possible when he turned pro after leading the Bulldogs to the 2007 NCAA title and an undefeated season as a senior, but it wasn't the top 10, which he'd cracked a few times before.
Seated nearby that afternoon 12 months ago was Isner's fiancée, Madison McKinley — they'd gotten engaged only weeks before. Life was good, but it was about to get so much better.
Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon, in a redesigned Twelve Hotel lobby, the ninth-ranked Isner and I talked about what is, essentially, his redesigned life and career. He's now married, with the couple's first child on the way. He lives in Dallas now after a decade living and training in Tampa, Fla., and 2018 has been by far the best year of his professional career.
Home life better than ever, tennis life better than ever — not a coincidence.
"My personal life, it's super settled and I'm very, very content and just so happy. And that helps [professionally], not just in tennis but other sports and life in general," he said.
On Dec. 2, 2017, Isner and McKinley got married in Palmetto Bluff, S.C. It was a glorious day in a gorgeous setting — it also happened to be the same day that his beloved Georgia football team was playing Auburn in the SEC Championship Game.
Really, the only thing that could have kept Isner from being in Mercedes-Benz Stadium that day was the thing that did: marrying the love of his life. He said the ceremony started around kickoff and during the reception "we got updates" as the Bulldogs ran away with the title. The happy couple did make it out to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl.
Georgia's New Year's Day win over Oklahoma was a great way to kick off 2018, but Isner's year on the court actually got off to a slow start. He was 1-6 in singles by early March, but it was in California, at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, that the turnaround began that led to his big breakthrough.
Isner lost in the first round of the singles, to former top 10 player Gael Monfils, but stuck around to play in the doubles with Jack Sock. The duo went on to win the title, giving Isner a needed boost.
"That was just a really good feeling, so I got that feeling of winning back and I certainly carried that to Miami," he said.
The Miami Open is a Masters 1000-level event — to compare it to pro golf, it's a bit like the Players Championship in that it's not quite a Grand Slam, but it's the next closest thing. It's a full field tournament featuring all of the top players and a check for $1.3 million for the winner.
Isner had won multiple smaller events in his career, including the Atlanta Open four times, but he'd yet to have a breakthrough win at one of the biggies. That changed in March when he beat three top 10 players en route to the title, including No. 4 Alexander Zverev in a tight, three-set final.
"I knew it was in me," Isner said, adding that he never let doubt about his game or whether at age 32 he was losing a step creep into his psyche.
After some up and down results during the clay-court season, including advancing to the round of 16 at the French Open, Isner opted to skip the grass-court warmup tournaments. Instead, he arrived at Wimbledon fresh physically and mentally and got in some good practice on the most famous grass courts in the world.
Isner had never had much success at Wimbledon before 2018, never advancing past the third round, even if he did win the most famous, or notorious, match ever there, 70-68 in the fifth set over Nicolas Mahut in 2010.
He won comfortably in the first round, escaped a tough five-setter in the second, posted a couple of straight-set wins to reach the quarterfinals, where he took down Milos Raonic in four sets to reach the semis. There he faced his friend and former college rival, Kevin Anderson.
In the finals of the 2007 NCAA team tournament at Georgia's Dan Magill Tennis Complex, Isner and the 6-8 Anderson faced off at No. 1 singles. Isner's win clinched the 4-0 sweep for the Bulldogs and the perfect season. They'd played again as pros since, but to play each other in the semis of Wimbledon more than a decade down the road was significant, and unlikely.
"Eleven years later, to meet in a match that big, was very cool and a super awesome showcase for college tennis. It showed how much of a good avenue it can be to professional tennis," Isner said.
Unfortunately for Isner, it was Anderson that prevailed in the marathon match, winning 26-24 in the fifth set. It was, he said, "a pretty crushing loss, no doubt." But he's moved on, "hit the delete button," something that he said is a little easier to do because so much in his life is going to very well.
"That definitely helps. That's going to be by far the most important thing I have going in my life, my family, my own family, which is kind of cool," he said. "Before, whenever I've talked about my family I've talked about my parents, my brothers, grandfather, aunt, uncle, all that stuff, but this is different."
It is different, and we've seen a different John Isner in 2018. The results speak for themselves.
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
