John Isner... a potential top 5 player??

[tistrapukcipeht]

No top 5, top 10 maybe, right now He is racking up points, but to know if He is a top 10 caliber He will have to defend the points.

Fish will soon be out of the top 10, that means, He isn't really a top 10. His dream run are coming to an end soon.

[brettsticker86]

Originally Posted by tistrapukcipeht

No top 5, top 10 maybe, right now He is racking up points, but to know if He is a top 10 caliber He will have to defend the points.

Fish will soon be out of the top 10, that means, He isn't really a top 10. His dream run are coming to an end soon.

really good point.

Originally Posted by joeri888

Well there's a ton of people that could finish 7 or 8. Isner's just one of them. Raonic, Nishikori, Dolgopolov, Gasquet, Wawrinka, Verdasco, Roddick, Fish, Almagro, Tipsarevic, Melzer, Simon, Monfils can all finish 8th if they have a good year

really? the absolute best part of Andy's season is about over. How is he going to jump 20 spots? Most of those people you mentioned have a only very tiny chance of entering top 10.

[kishnabe]

Top 10 for sure, especially this year. Somewhere around Wimbledon he could get there.

2012 IW Semi, 2011 US Open QF, 2011 Paris SF...those points are major. He just needs to hope to do well where one of the top 4 fails.....to get huge points.

[papertank]

No way is he good enough for top 5. Top 10 definitely, but I could never imagine him finishing a year higher than 7 or 8. He has powerful weapons, but also some exploitable weaknesses. In his form right now I don't think he'd ever win consistently enough to make the top 5.

[jayoub95]

Ok well i guess Isner isn't top 5 material after all. Top 10 for Isner is where i'll leave him for the time being.

[okdude1992]

Originally Posted by brettsticker86

i think its possible. for an extended period of time? that's hard to believe, but I think he can crack the top 5 for a short period. I see him making top 10 this year, as long as he stays healthy and confident. with a serve and a forehand like that, if he gets hot, a la roddick 2003, anything can happen. just my opinion.

roddick in 03-04 was a legitimate slam contender and consistently since then, he was top 10. he didn't just "get hot". completely different level than john just a serve isner

to the OP, i think isner can be top 10. maybe even top 8 like fish. but no better

[jayoub95]

With Ferrer entering 30's and Feds and Fish both 30, thats 3 players in the top 10 nearing the end of their professional careers. Isner needs to keep winning and hold his points and when they retire he will move up to 9 or 8. But he will have to work so hard...

[Mustard]

Originally Posted by Oceansize

If any Brit not called Murray wins a match at Wimbledon, the British press are ready to proclaim them as the next GOAT.

Yep. Nothing the Americans do will ever be as bad as the British press making out that Jeremy Bates was a really serious contender to win the 1992 Wimbledon title after Bates beat Michael Chang 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in the first round. I cringe at the memory of the press hype.

[jayoub95]

Another one the Brits ranted about was Henman. Made semis of Wimbledon in 98, 99, 01, 02.

[Mustard]

Originally Posted by jayoub95

Another one the Brits ranted about was Henman. Made semis of Wimbledon in 98, 99, 01, 02.

Henman was much better than Bates, though, and got as high as world number 4 and reached 4 Wimbledon semi finals. Henman was a very good grass-court player but wasn't quite at the elite.

Bates never got into the top 50 during his career. Before 1992 Wimbledon started, Bates was 1,000-1 at the bookies to win the tournament and had threatened to quit tennis altogether just days before the tournament had started. Then Bates beats Michael Chang (the number 7 seed) in straight sets in the first round, and the press hypes him up to the point of possible title challenger. The hype just grew when Bates then beat Javier Sanchez in the second round in straight sets, and then beat Thierry Champion (1991 Wimbledon quarter finalist) in 5 sets. When Bates was knocked out in the fourth round by Guy Forget in 5 sets, there was some controversy because Bates had served for the match and had a match point in the fourth set when somebody in the crowd coughed loudly as Bates started his service toss.

Those Brit fans who moan about Tim Henman and Andy Murray don't know how lucky they are.

[stringertom]

Mathmatically, Isner is quite capable of reaching very close to top 5 in a short time. He gains big points at IW ('11 R32) and can expect a lot of points gains all the way into the summer ('11 FO 1st round easy to improve on). His problem with consistency will be his biggest obstacle. After his DC win over Fed, he followed up with so-so results at home in Memphis and Delray. Top 5 means clearing all or most hurdles. Can he do that? We shall see.

[Fedex]

Originally Posted by Bobby Jr

No. Not unless the top five/six were ill for the next 9 months.

Isner is pretty overrated. People who see him as a top 5 player are basically just highlighting their lack of knowledge about tennis.

I'll highlight my lack of knowledge about tennis.
I've been touting Isner for years.
Ok, maybe not consistent top 5 material but he's a player who can easily cause upsets against the top 4 or sneak a slam.
He's about the last person any of the top 4 want to meet.
Doesn't that say a lot about the guy?

[Hood_Man]

Originally Posted by Mustard

Those Brit fans who moan about Tim Henman and Andy Murray don't know how lucky they are.

That's a good point actually. For all the talk about the poor state of British mens tennis, in the last 14 Wimbledons we've had a British player in the semi finals 7 times. Not bad!

[NamRanger]

Originally Posted by Bobby Jr

No. Not unless the top five/six were ill for the next 9 months.

Isner is pretty overrated. People who see him as a top 5 player are basically just highlighting their lack of knowledge about tennis.

All he has to do is get hot with his serve for a stretch of time and an easy top 5 for a small stint.

[Fedex]

Originally Posted by The Bawss

Lol he just struggled to beat Gilles Simon. Quick get him to the hall of fame! It's amazing how desperate the americans are to have another top american player.

The term projection springs to mind.
We are the most desperate tennis nation on the planet!
We have no right to call the US which has, historically, been the most successful - desperate.
You are just having a laugh.
I love your irony though.

[kiki]

Originally Posted by jayoub95

John Isner has been playing really well lately. I can maybe see him inside the top 5 in the future. Any thoughts as to whether he will become a top 5 player or is he just in a phase

Yes, he could make the starting five on most NBA teams...weak NBA era, just as tennis...

[Murrayalmagrofan]

Looking at the three top big men on the ATP Tour:

John Isner---6ft 9in---245lbs
Kevin Anderson---6ft 8in---197lbs
Ivo Karlovic---6ft 10in---230lbs

Isner needs to drop another 20-25lbs from his frame. Make a Mardy Fish type of transformation. His movement would be so much better on court, and he'll probably extend his career by putting less weight on his knees. The Top 10 is definitely within his reach, but I feel it'll take a "transformation" for him to reach the top 5. Isner needs to get fully committed - diet, exercise, training, etc.

[SStrikerR]

Originally Posted by The Bawss

Lol he just struggled to beat Gilles Simon. Quick get him to the hall of fame! It's amazing how desperate the americans are to have another top american player.

No American who actively watches tennis would say that, and the op isn't an American. You're a moron.

[Don Felder]

Kudos to him for making the most of his game and for doing as well as he has after 4 years of college tennis. It's impressive in that respect.

But I really do wish he had more overall game. I saw him try a drop shot against Simon that literally bounced before it made it to his side of the net. Just terrible feel and relatively speaking, not a very good tennis player relative to his peers. But maybe that makes his accomplishments that much more impressive.