There is something about Big John Isner that has always reminded me of folk heroes like Paul Bunyan or Johnny Appleseed. He burst onto the tennis scene with a shocking, aw-shucks, who-me, where-am-I debut against Roger Federer at the US Open, where he took a set off Roger at the height of the Fed’s mighty powers. Isner was fresh from four years of college tennis, which is just like being from nowhere, and there he was on Ashe Stadium, serving bullets from that Manute Bol-like frame like he couldn’t believe his luck.
His performance last year during the Wimbledon Marathon only added to his lore. Isner-Mahut is the strangest tennis match I have ever seen and it will never be replicated. Wimbledon randomly paired the two men for a first round match in 2011, which quickly proved my point. Isner dropped Mahut in straights. That was anti-climactic, but it was appropriate for where Isner is in his development. Unfortunately, John followed up with a disappointing loss to Nicolas Almagro of Spain.
When I looked at the draw this year I thought anything less than the fourth round would be a total failure for Isner. This is grass. With that serve he ought to be a lock for the final eight. But he looked totally outmatched by Almagro, getting caught repeatedly standing 10 feet behind the baseline. Almagro isn’t known for his return game, but he was cracking them today, and he played one hell of a clean match – more than 60 winnersand only 14 unforced errors in 4 sets.
For Isner, this loss might boil down to it just being Almagro’s day. My feeling though is that this is becoming characteristic of Isner – his fitness is better but his play is not consistent. I also see him struggling to change tactics during the match. Almagro caught him by surprise and had him back on his heels. But Isner just backed up behind the baseline and let Almagro control the match. It was reminiscent of some of Andy Roddick’‘s performances, where the other guy’s great play is a result of Andy letting him have his way. Isner’s entire game rests on his serve and he’s like eight feet tall, so it’s even more important that he keep the points short. If you are Isner, you have got to dictate play.
Isner never expected to play professional tennis, and I often sense that he’s having an internal struggle between just happy to be here, life as a player is sweet and a desire to push himself to the brink to see how far he can take this tennis thing. His ranking has dropped from 19 to 47 in 2011 and he needs a big summer. Isner is a hard worker but it’s time for Bambi Legs to grow up and prove he belongs in the top 20.
Passing Shots 
Posted on June 24, 2011
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