Whats wrong with Isner?
 

I know that his game is limited and he is never gonna be a top guy with his ground strokes but come on this is terrible he can hardly win a match this year i would think he could beat most guys with his serve alone.

whats wrong with isner ?..what ?..apart from almost everything you mean ??

I'm not sure I haven't really been watching him. His ground strokes were looking pretty good for awhile though and he was improving alot. Maybe it's a confidence thing.

Yeah i think its a confidence thing maybe; it really hurt him losing all those tough 5 setter last year i think

unbalanced strengths and weaknesses. People figured out how to play him and this is the outcome.

^That could be it. Although at this point, I think he's struggling with his confidence. Perhaps his tough loss to Kohlschreiber in the US Open R32 set him back...he's only 5-9 since that point, losing his opening match in 3 tournaments. Based on how he'd played last spring and summer, I know his expectations for New York were much higher that a third round exit.

Agree 100% with this. Many players have figured out Isner... and Isner has not adjusted.

There are many matches where I've seen Isner's opponents just turn into lowball slice pushers -- and make Isner beat himself with unforced errors. Others run Isner like crazy -- diagonally across the court. Isner has trouble in these situations also.

So yeah, they figured out his big weakness -- footwork. But I can't really blame the guy. It has to be really tough to carry around that big frame and try to have great footwork in a grueling 3 hour match.

Isner has reached the state of self actualization - he has achieved whatever he is capable of.

Huge serve and solid Forehand - stiff and iffy footwork and fitness

But you have guys who have been top 20 for a good long time with similar or even less. Also when has there ever been a GREAT player that tall - just don't see being over 6'6" an advantage - if anything the opp outside of dubs.

Janowicz and Del Potro have great footwork for their size. No excuse.

Exactly. When I watch those guys move across a court I can see their natural athleticism. When I watch John Isner all I see is a big lumbering giant with a big serve. There is nothing athletic about him. If he were a true athlete, he would be playing basketball here in the U.S. But because he realized that his long term potential in basketball was non-existent he pursued tennis. He got a lot further (Top 10) with his limited abilities than I thought he would.

his knees and ankles are already giving way... he will never amount to more than a massive serve and even that has been figured out by most top players...

he should just keep at it so that the USA still has a guy in the top 30 for the time being and he can get paid... not a bad way to make a living, but no need to kill himself out there.

serve big, volley, throw in the occasional slice before you follow with a big forehand, etc...

You pretty much nailed it on the head Tcbtennis. He simply is what he is, a guy with limited mobility and "skills" whose size (and serve) only provided him with whatever advantages he enjoyed only up to a point.

I agree they are - But Delpo is just about 6' 6" and Janowicz is 6' 8" - Isner almost 6' 10" and 15kgs heavier than Janowicz that's a huge difference in height and weight at this level.

Like I said list me a GREAT tennis player over 6' 6"???? Not any those guys.....

The guy is 16 in the world, which I'd say is pretty great. Great serve, maybe a little bit temperamental (an ongoing battle for EVERYONE at that level), but he's a solid player. I'm thinking he's just having a rough patch lately, something everyone eventually has. I have confidence in him picking things up once the fast(er) court season starts.

As far as what is separating him from the top 8.. Last I watched, and correct me if I'm wrong as of late, but he always seemed like a guy who hit his groundstrokes like someone who sings from behind a guitar. The instruments should complement one another, but also be able to stand alone. Whether that's a confidence thing or a subconscious mental decision, iunno.

Janowicz is pretty damned good, and very well could be great one day if he learns to cover the whole court.

And this is a changing time. We'll start seeing 7 foot tennis players eventually...and good ones too also.

Hehe! This! I laughed but you are spot on my friend

He's 27 coming up 28 he's actually on the downward slide now