John Isner, ace machine watch Australian Open 2013

[ark_28]

Bit of a shame that John lost to Istomin last night but John is at a stage in his career where getting up for these matches is tough for John is is about defending his points from the final at the Masters in IW and trying to make the Wimbledon final as he been predicted for him!

Sure it would have been nice to have a run here this week but John is already a former finalist and he knows his career will not be judged on how he performs in Memphis!

[spinovic]

If Isner could take that clay court he beat Federer on in Switzerland to play all his matches on, he might win a major.

[ark_28]

Originally Posted by spinovic

If Isner could take that clay court he beat Federer on in Switzerland to play all his matches on, he might win a major.

That was some performance but he has performed well on Clay even outside that match, but that day he was unplayable, Roger lost in 4 sets yet later admitted that he played a good match!

[spinovic]

Isner not looking good the past few months.

3-4 on the year...

US Open - R32 Kohlschreiber 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6
Davis Cup - 0-2 (lost to Almagro and Ferrer)
Shanghai - R16 Stepanek 4-6, 7-6(5), 3-6
Valencia - R16 Goffin 6-7(2), 6-4, 4-6
Paris - R32 Llodra 4-6, 6-7(5)
Sydney - R16
Davis Cup - 1-1 Bellucci 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(7), 4-6, 3-6
San Jose - SF Haas 3-6, 4-6
Memphis - R32 Istomin 4-6, 3-6

Up until the US Open, he had a strong 2012, with the exception of his slam performances. Since then, he's struggling with a 7-10 record. Three times he has lost his opening match in a tournament and San Jose is his only good result. He needs to figure it out.

[ark_28]

Originally Posted by spinovic

Isner not looking good the past few months.

3-4 on the year...

US Open - R32 Kohlschreiber 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6
Davis Cup - 0-2 (lost to Almagro and Ferrer)
Shanghai - R16 Stepanek 4-6, 7-6(5), 3-6
Valencia - R16 Goffin 6-7(2), 6-4, 4-6
Paris - R32 Llodra 4-6, 6-7(5)
Sydney - R16
Davis Cup - 1-1 Bellucci 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(7), 4-6, 3-6
San Jose - SF Haas 3-6, 4-6
Memphis - R32 Istomin 4-6, 3-6

Up until the US Open, he had a strong 2012, with the exception of his slam performances. Since then, he's struggling with a 7-10 record. Three times he has lost his opening match in a tournament and San Jose is his only good result. He needs to figure it out.

I think we need to take these results with a pinch of salt, the fact is Jonn had a knee injury which forced him out of the Australian Open and he is just getting back from that, also for John now it is all about the bigger events he needs to achieve his potential in those and defend his points at IW, he knows he his career will be judged on the big ones, so these smaller events probably are not what drives him as much as a lot of the guys who are playing to survive rather than be a champion.

[Relinquis]

other pros have figured out his serve... they can read it more and more.

[ark_28]

Originally Posted by Relinquis

other pros have figured out his serve... they can read it more and more.

I do not buy this for a moment, anyone can have a bad serve day his stats v Haas were terrible the first serve % was way down its more about others having to adjust to his serve than him adjusting to anyone else.

[Mainad]

Originally Posted by ark_28

I do not buy this for a moment, anyone can have a bad serve day his stats v Haas were terrible the first serve % was way down its more about others having to adjust to his serve than him adjusting to anyone else.

Yes, but Isner has rather a lot of bad serve days. The simple fact is that his serve alone is not always reliable enough to carry him through. He has to back it up with an effective ground game especially against the top guys. In the famous 2010 match against Mahut, his serve was working fine, he served 113 aces but Mahut just served 103 right back at him. He barely won that match and had nothing left for the next round. Raonic is slowly learning that his monstrous serve is not enough by itself which is why he is improving his ground game. Top players are well used to facing monstrous servers and adjusting their games accordingly. It's really nothing new to them.

[spinovic]

Originally Posted by ark_28

I think we need to take these results with a pinch of salt, the fact is Jonn had a knee injury which forced him out of the Australian Open and he is just getting back from that, also for John now it is all about the bigger events he needs to achieve his potential in those and defend his points at IW, he knows he his career will be judged on the big ones, so these smaller events probably are not what drives him as much as a lot of the guys who are playing to survive rather than be a champion.

Did he have the knee injury last August? He finished the season poorly. I included his USO results, but if you just look at his record since then, it is actually 5-9.

Sorry, not fully buying that argument. I think he's struggling with his confidence at the moment and the only way to turn that around is string together some wins, which he isn't doing.

I'm not writing him off, but I do think 10-ish is probably his ceiling. I like Isner, so I hope he turns things around and gets it going.

It seems like that big DC win over Fed in Switzerland on clay really got him started last year. I think he needs something like that again to regain his confidence and relax a little.

[Relinquis]

well he didn't play Australia due to the knee.... if it is still an issue it could have big ramifications on his serve, movement and on his confidence.

[spinovic]

Originally Posted by Relinquis

well he didn't play Australia due to the knee.... if it is still an issue it could have big ramifications on his serve, movement and on his confidence.

That's why I said I don't fully buy the argument. No doubt, the injury is a factor. But, he played poorly for most of the second half of last season. It didn't just start in 2013 post-knee injury.

He says the knee is fine, and to me, his movement looks fine. I really think its a mental thing for him at the moment. But, that's just my guess.

[mattennis]

Isner will never win a GS tournament, neither will he be top-5...

He is just too tall and slow for a tennis player to reach those heights of the game...

[Monsieur_DeLarge]

Originally Posted by mattennis

Isner will never win a GS tournament, neither will he be top-5...

He is just too tall and slow for a tennis player to reach those heights of the game...

Surely being tall makes it easier to reach heights?


Regards,
MDL

[mattennis]

Originally Posted by Monsieur_DeLarge

Surely being tall makes it easier to reach heights?


Regards,
MDL

hahaha, sir you really owned me there...

[TheSouthPaw]

I remember when Isner won the 2013 AO off of his monster serve.

[ark_28]

Originally Posted by Mainad

Yes, but Isner has rather a lot of bad serve days. The simple fact is that his serve alone is not always reliable enough to carry him through. He has to back it up with an effective ground game especially against the top guys. In the famous 2010 match against Mahut, his serve was working fine, he served 113 aces but Mahut just served 103 right back at him. He barely won that match and had nothing left for the next round. Raonic is slowly learning that his monstrous serve is not enough by itself which is why he is improving his ground game. Top players are well used to facing monstrous servers and adjusting their games accordingly. It's really nothing new to them.

You refer to a match 3 years ago! A lot has changed in world tennis in 3 years! But you have correctly highlighted just how devastating John's serve can be!

Look at when he beat Federer last year not only was he serving huge but by the end of the match he was lining up return winners and breaking Federer at will! That is what he is capable of it's just a question of being match fit and totally focused. That tennis he played in the 4th set was virtually unplayable! Federer even said despite losing in 4 sets that he thought he played a good match!

[uncooling]

Originally Posted by ark_28

I think we need to take these results with a pinch of salt, the fact is Jonn had a knee injury which forced him out of the Australian Open and he is just getting back from that, also for John now it is all about the bigger events he needs to achieve his potential in those and defend his points at IW, he knows he his career will be judged on the big ones, so these smaller events probably are not what drives him as much as a lot of the guys who are playing to survive rather than be a champion.

your statement is so wrong. Since when it's all about big events for Isner?
what do you mean by these small events probably aren't what drives him? Even if it doesnt drive him, which probably isnt true, he should win many matches in those small events IF he has potential and talent to do so. It seems that he fails to do that, so what makes you think he doesn't need to do well in those small ones?

Just face the reality! Isner has already past his peak and is declining every year like how Karlovic has been in the past 5 years.

You're just hoping that Isner would do well in bigger events, but the chances are: If you can't do well in small events for like 5 consecutive events, you probably won't do well in bigger events.

These are the reasons why Isner is declining:

1. His serve isn't as effective as it used to be (just like how it happened to Karlovic), more players can read his serve now.
2. There are players like Raonic who can serve better, faster, with much more consistent groundstrokes
3. He's just getting old. His movement was really bad when he was 24-25. Imagine how his movement will be when he's very close to 30!

[Tafmatch]

Originally Posted by uncooling

Just face the reality! Isner has already past his peak and is declining every year like how Karlovic has been in the past 5 years.

I'm afraid as well that Isner is going to end up like Karlovic. Which isn't bad ofcourse but I still hope there will be one grandslam where he can go all the way.
But his first concern should be his ranking as it will be tough for him to stay in the top 30.

I do like the way those big servers play, just because they change the game so much. Ofcourse it's boring when lots of guys play like this but matches like Karlovic-Murray last year or Karlovic-Nadal were pretty exciting.

[ark_28]

John Isner is honestly baffling as a player. He has probably the best serve in the world. It is certainly one of the biggest, it is quite accurate, and his height allows him to do things with it that most others can’t. Even when compared to similar players like Milos Raonic or Kevin Anderson, Isner’s serve just seems more effective. So it would stand to reason that, like other powerful servers and big hitters, Isner’s best bet at being a top-level player is to play as much on hard courts as possible and to try and just power his way through as many matches as he can.

This theory has worked for him and brought him into the top 20 in the early years of his career. Unfortunately, it is the wrong outlook. Because if there is one surface that can put Isner over the top—if there is one area in which he can truly become a top player in the world—it is the red clay courts of Europe. Does this sound strange? After all, Americans and big servers are not known for their prowess on this surface. So why would Isner be at his best on clay? Let’s look at Isner’s history.

Isner has played several memorable and historic matches, the highlight obviously being his record-shattering marathon against Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010. But, if I was forced to judge, the best match that Isner has played in his career was actually one that he lost. After a poor 2010, Isner’s ranking had fallen into the 50s. As such, he was unseeded at the 2011 French Open. Unluckily for him, he drew Rafael Nadal in the first round.

It was a match that was expected to be potentially troublesome for Nadal but no one had thought for a second that Isner could win. Isner played the match of his life, serving well and really hanging with Nadal on clay. He managed to break Rafa once and took two tiebreaks to really give him a chance to win the match. No one else took two sets off Rafa that entire tournament. What doesn’t often get mentioned, however, is that Isner could have played that match even better.

Isner’s forehand on any ball sitting up in the middle of the court is lethal. Isner’s kick serve on the high-bouncing clay is nearly unreturnable, and certainly cannot be kept low if put back in play. This is a combination that Isner used during that match, but not nearly enough. He had serves that would bounce over Rafa’s head. Rafa would sometimes stand as far as 15 feet back to return Isner’s second serves. This is a potent weapon that Isner for some reason just doesn’t use.

Isner’s clay skills were not only shown once, though. If he has had one match in his career as impressive as that Roland Garros match against Rafa, it was his first-round Davis Cup rubber against Roger Federer last year. Isner used his variety of serves and massive forehand to really just beat Federer off of the high-bouncing clay court. Isner has these skills and has shown that they are not only flukes, the only real question is why isn’t he embracing his clay court potential. Not to mention, of course, that Isner also took Djokovic to 5 sets on clay in a Davis Cup match back in 2010 and really could have won that match. Now, 2010 Djokovic is not quite the Djokovic of today, but he was still a top 3 player in the world and was one of the best on clay. That match showed us the beginning of Isner’s potential on clay. The Nadal and Federer matches cemented it.

Isner is playing at least five tournaments in a row at this point in the year. Last week he played in San Jose, losing in the semifinals to Tommy Haas. He is currently playing the 500-level tournament in Memphis and will follow with Delray Beach, Indian Wells, Miami, and then probably Davis Cup. These are all on hard courts. I can understand why he wants to stay in the United States and that he might not want to go to clay before coming back to the two hard court Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami. But this is his chance. He could be playing in the South American clay court swing instead, which in turn would prepare him well for the European clay court swing in a few months and Roland Garros at the end of May.

Isner is a very good player. His lack of a real baseline game is a major inhibition, but it certainly isn’t so prohibitively bad that he can’t compete with the top players. He needs to embrace who he is, though, and realize what surface and style will best suit his game. He is muddling around in the top 10-20 right now, which isn’t bad. But he could definitely do better. He needs to work on his baseline game (obviously). Most of all, though, he just needs to play on clay, utilize his lethal high-bouncing serves and shots, and attack at every opportunity he gets. Doing that almost earned him an epic upset over the best clay-courter of all time. Doing that did earn him an upset over arguably the greatest player of all time. If he can finally realize that and consistently utilize his game in that fashion, there really is no telling how much he can achieve.

Excellent article highlights how unplayable John is at his best, hopefully he gets back to that form sooner rather than later I am sure the rest of the tour are not wishing for a return to top form for John though...

[TheSouthPaw]

How many majornquarterfinals has he been in?