John Isner
Encyclopedia
John Robert Isner is an American professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high rank of no. 18 on July 5, 2010, and has been as high as the second-ranked American tennis player behind Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....

. His most famous victories were against Roddick in the 2009 US Open, and against Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...

 at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships
2010 Wimbledon Championships
The 2010 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament ran from Monday 21 June until Sunday 4 July 2010. It was the 124th staging of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand...

 where he played the longest ever professional tennis match
Isner–Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships
The Isner–Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships is the longest match in tennis history, measured both by time and number of games. In the Gentlemen's Singles tournament first round, the American 23rd seed John Isner defeated the French qualifier Nicolas Mahut after 11 hours, 5 minutes of...

, which lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes over the course of three days.

Collegiate career

Isner played collegiate tennis at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...

 from 2004 to 2007 and became the school's all-time leader in singles and doubles victories, earning All-American honors each of his four years and leading Georgia to the 2007 NCAA championship
NCAA Men's Tennis Championship
The NCAA Men's Tennis Championships are held to crown a team, individual, and doubles champion in American college tennis. The first intercollegiate championship was held in 1883, 23 years before the founding of the NCAA, with Harvard's Joseph Clark taking the singles title...

.

2007

Isner began his professional career in earnest in the summer of 2007. With a world ranking of no. 839, he needed wildcard entries into the main draws of every tournament, even at the Futures level.
He won his first tournament of the fall, the USA F14 Futures, beating the top three seeds along the way. Then, after first round losses in an Challenger-level and an ATP-level tournament, he beat five top-300 players and three seeds to win the Lexington Challenger in July to improve his ranking to no. 416 after just one month.

At the following week's tournament at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic
Legg Mason Tennis Classic
The Legg Mason Tennis Classic is an annual late-summer men's tennis tournament played in Washington, D.C. as part of the ATP Tour. It was first held in 1969. It was later known as the Sovran Bank Classic. . Originally an event of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour and part of the Grand Prix Championship...

 in Washington, D.C., Fernando González
Fernando González
----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...

's late withdrawal freed a wildcard spot, which was given at the last minute to Isner. Isner took full advantage of his good fortune, recording his first wins over top-100 players. He won third-set tiebreakers on five consecutive days, beating no. 73 Tim Henman
Tim Henman
Timothy Henry "Tim" Henman OBE is a retired English professional tennis player and former British Number One. Henman played a serve-and-volley style of tennis that suited the grass courts of Wimbledon. He was the first player from the United Kingdom since Roger Taylor in the 1970s to reach the...

, no. 47 Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker
Benjamin Becker is a German professional tennis player. Becker's primary weapon is a very big serve that he can hit at up to 220km/h, along with powerful groundstrokes....

, no. 189 qualifier Wayne Odesnik
Wayne Odesnik
Wayne Odesnik is a professional left-handed American tennis player, with a two-handed backhand.His career-high in singles was # 77, as of April 13, 2009...

, no. 12 Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas is a German and recently naturalized American professional tennis player. He has competed on the ATP Tour since 1996. After breaking into the world top 100 in 1997, and reaching a career-high ranking of world no...

, and no. 54 Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...

, to reach the final, where he fell to fellow American Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....

. His incredible week raised his ranking to no. 193 in the world after just six weeks on the pro tour.

Isner's Washington success earned him wildcard entries into three more ATP tournaments: the Masters Series
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...

 event in Cincinnati a week later, New Haven, and the US Open. He lost in the first round in Cincinnati to quarterfinalist no. 15 David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...

. The following week in New Haven, he beat no. 49 Becker a second time, before falling to Ferrer for the second week in a row.

In his US Open debut, he defeated the 26th-seeded player, former quarterfinalist Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...

, and fired 34 aces along the way. He proceeded to win his second round match vs. Rik de Voest
Rik de Voest
Rik de Voest is a professional South African tennis player. As of September 6, 2007, de Voest's career-high ranking was World Number 110, which he achieved on August 21, 2006....

, before losing in the third round to top-seed and eventual champion Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...

. Isner was one of only two players to take a set from Federer in the championship. His US Open performance improved his ranking to no. 144.

After the US Open, Isner continued to play exclusively in North America and finished the year ranked no. 107. That year, Isner was added to the United States Davis Cup team as a practice partner.

2008

Isner's no. 106 ranking in November, 2007 was just good enough to get him direct entry into his first Australian Open, after several players ranked above him dropped out. He was defeated in the first round of the 2008 Australian Open
2008 Australian Open
The 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 14 through 27 January 2008.After twenty years of playing on...

 by veteran Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Santoro
Fabrice Vetea Santoro is a retired French professional male tennis player from Tahiti. Though not counted among the top ranked players, he had an unusually long professional career – with many of his accomplishments coming toward the end of his career – and he is popular among spectators and other...

 of France. Teamed with Croat Ivo Karlović
Ivo Karlovic
Ivo Karlović is a Croatian tennis player. He has won four ATP singles titles: three in 2007 and one in 2008. Karlović is the tallest player ever on the ATP Tour at 208 cm . He is a serve-and-volleyer, Karlovic holds the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 251 km/h ...

 (the tallest player on the ATP tour), Isner also lost in the first round of doubles.

Isner broke into the top-100 at no. 93 in February with a quarterfinal appearance at the ATP stop in San Jose, beating no. 90 Florent Serra
Florent Serra
Florent Lucien Serra is a French male tennis player. A right-hander, he has won two ATP titles during his career and is coached by Pierre Cherret.-Early life and junior career:...

 and no. 26 Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas is a German and recently naturalized American professional tennis player. He has competed on the ATP Tour since 1996. After breaking into the world top 100 in 1997, and reaching a career-high ranking of world no...

. He established himself as a top-100 player in the first three months of the year, beating six players in the top 100, while playing exclusively in ATP-level events. Isner played in his first French Open and Wimbledon, losing in the first round of each. He also played in the US Open, where he lost in the first round. He ended the year ranked no. 144 in the world.

2009

Isner qualified for the singles draw of the 2009 Heineken Open
2009 Heineken Open
The 2009 Heineken Open is a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is the 34th edition of the Heineken Open, and part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP Tour...

 in Auckland, after winning three consecutive three-set matches in qualifying. His final match saw him bounce back from a 0–3 deficit in the third set to eventually beat Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci
Thomaz Bellucci
Thomaz Cocchiarali Bellucci , a professional tennis player, is the top ranked Brazilian tennis player. He achieved a career high ranking of #21 on July 26, 2010....

 in a tie-breaker. In the main draw, Isner beat Albert Montañés
Álbert Montañés
Albert Montañés Roca is a professional tennis player from Spain.He first entered the top-100 in 2001 and has been in the top-100 for all but 20 weeks since then...

 and countryman Robby Ginepri
Robby Ginepri
Robert Louis Ginepri is an American professional tennis player.-Early life:Robby Ginepri is of Luxembourgish ancestry....

, before bowing out in the quarterfinals to Robin Söderling
Robin Söderling
Robin Bo Carl Söderling is a professional tennis player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009 and 2010...

.

Isner received a wildcard
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...

 entry into the 2009 Australian Open
2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...

, after winning the United States Tennis Association
United States Tennis Association
The United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...

's wildcard tournament, beating Donald Young and Jesse Levine
Jesse Levine
Jesse Levine is a Canadian-born American professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high singles rank of No. 94 on November 3, 2008....

 along the way. Despite serving 39 aces against his first-round opponent, Slovakia's Dominik Hrbatý
Dominik Hrbatý
Dominik Hrbatý is a retired professional tennis player from Slovakia.-Personal life:Hrbatý was born on 4 January 1978 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. His father was an architecture engineer and his younger brother is an umpire...

, he lost in four sets. Isner began working with new coach, Craig Boynton, who had previously coached former world no. 1 Jim Courier
Jim Courier
James Spencer "Jim" Courier, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won four Grand Slam singles titles, two at the French Open and two at the Australian Open...

 in the 1990s, in March 2009.

At the 2009 Indian Wells
Indian Wells Masters
The Indian Wells Masters is an annual tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California....

 tournament, Isner pulled off a major upset by defeating ninth seed Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...

. This was Isner's first win over a top-10 player, after four previous defeats. He then went on to defeat former world no. 1 Marat Safin
Marat Safin
Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...

, before losing to world no. 6 Juan Martín del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...

 in the fourth round.

In April 2009 at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships
U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships
The U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship is an annual ATP Tour tennis tournament that started in 1910. It is the last remaining ATP Tour-level tournament in the United States to be played on clay courts....

 in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

 at River Oaks Country Club
River Oaks Country Club
River Oaks Country Club is a country club located in the River Oaks neighborhood of Houston, Texas, United States. The club has hosted the River Oaks International Tennis Tournament since 1931....

, Isner made it as far as the quarterfinals, where he was defeated by fellow American Wayne Odesnik
Wayne Odesnik
Wayne Odesnik is a professional left-handed American tennis player, with a two-handed backhand.His career-high in singles was # 77, as of April 13, 2009...

. Isner qualified for the French Open, but had to withdraw after being diagnosed with mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis
Infectious mononucleosis is an infectious, widespread viral...

, which caused him to miss Wimbledon as well.

In August 2009, he defeated world no. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and world no. 18 Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...

 en route to the semifinals of the ATP World Tour 500 event in Washington, before losing to world no. 5 Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....

. This performance brought him to a career-high ranking of no. 55 and a special exemption into the Masters 1000 Series event in Montreal, where he defeated Jesse Levine
Jesse Levine
Jesse Levine is a Canadian-born American professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high singles rank of No. 94 on November 3, 2008....

, before losing to Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....

. He earned a wildcard into the Masters 1000 Series event in Cincinnati, where he defeated world no. 21 Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas is a German and recently naturalized American professional tennis player. He has competed on the ATP Tour since 1996. After breaking into the world top 100 in 1997, and reaching a career-high ranking of world no...

, before losing to world no. 35 Jérémy Chardy
Jérémy Chardy
Jérémy Chardy is a French professional tennis player. He won the 2005 Wimbledon Championships Boys' Singles title, and finished as the runner-up at the 2005 US Open Boys' Singles, losing to Ryan Sweeting. His career high rank is no...

 in the second round.
Unseeded and ranked no. 55 in the world entering the US Open
2009 US Open (tennis)
The 2009 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, held from August 31 to September 14, 2009 in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, New York City, United States. Originally, it was scheduled to end with the mens' singles final match on Sunday,...

, Isner defeated world no. 29 Victor Hănescu
Victor Hanescu
Victor Hănescu is a Romanian tennis player. He achieved his career high rank of no. 26 on July 6, 2009.- Professional career :...

 in the first round, which was his first in a Grand Slam tournament since the 2007 US Open, ending a streak of six consecutive defeats. He then advanced to the third round, where he defeated world no. 5 and fellow American Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....

 in five sets for his first victory over Roddick, his first victory in a five-set match, and the first time he advanced past the third round of a Grand Slam tournament. He was then defeated in the fourth round by world no. 10 Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...

 in four sets. His US Open performance brought his ranking to a career-high no. 39.

After playing in Vienna, Basel, and the Paris Masters, Isner finished the year at a career-high no. 34 in the world. He has credited his work with Boynton for helping him get back on track following his disappointing 2008 season.

His progress was acknowledged by his peers, as he was voted the ATP Most Improved Player for 2009, becoming the tenth American to win the award, and the first since Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...

 in 1998.

2010

Isner began the year at the 2010 Heineken Open
2010 Heineken Open – Singles
Juan Martín del Potro was the defending champion, but chose not to compete.John Isner won in the final, 6–3, 5–7, 7–6, against Arnaud Clément.-Seeds:The top four seeds receive a bye to the second round....

 in Auckland. Unseeded, he reached his second career ATP final and first since Washington in 2007. In the final, he saved a championship point to defeat 2001 Australian Open finalist Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément is a professional tennis player from France. His best achievement is reaching the final of the 2001 Australian Open.-Career:Clément was born in Aix-en-Provence, and currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland...

. The victory in Auckland was Isner's first ATP tour title; after the victory he donated $5,000 of his winnings to aid rescue action for the 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...

.

The victory catapulted Isner into the top 30 for the first time and also allowed him to surpass Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...

 to become the second-highest ranked American for the first time, behind only Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....

. Isner said he intended to finish the year in the top 20, and given his ascendency in the world rankings combined with the absence of Roddick and James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...

 for the 2010 Davis Cup season, it became increasingly likely that Isner would qualify to play singles for the US Davis Cup team for the first time in his career.

After Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...

 withdrew, Isner became the final seed for the 2010 Australian Open
2010 Australian Open – Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but retired due to a right knee injury trailing 3–6, 6–7, 0–3 in the quarterfinals against Andy Murray.Roger Federer met Andy Murray in the final of this event...

. In the first round, he defeated world no. 49 Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi is a professional tennis player from South Tyrol, northern Italy, who turned professional in 2000. He considers clay and hard courts his favourite surfaces. and is coached by Massimo Sartori....

 for his first victory at the Australian Open and his first victory at a Grand Slam other than the US Open. He then advanced to the round of 16, before bowing out to world no. 4 and eventual finalist Andy Murray.

After the Australian Open, Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe
Patrick McEnroe
Patrick John McEnroe is a former professional tennis player and the former captain of the United States Davis Cup team.Born in Manhasset, New York, he is the younger brother of John McEnroe...

 announced that Isner and Querrey would be first and second singles on the 2010 United States Davis Cup team for the team's 2010 Davis Cup World Group
2010 Davis Cup World Group
The World Group was the highest level of Davis Cup competition in 2010. The first round losers went into the Davis Cup World Group Play-offs while the winners progressed to the quarterfinals...

 first-round match in Serbia on indoor clay in March 2010; Isner described the selection as "a dream come true".

Isner next entered the 2010 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis. Seeded sixth, he made it to the finals, before losing to Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...

. In the doubles event, Isner teamed up with Querrey to win the tournament, defeating British-Australian pair of Ross Hutchins
Ross Hutchins
Ross Dan Hutchins is a British professional tennis player, known best as a doubles player. Hutchins was born in Wimbledon, a location synonymous with tennis. Having turned professional in 2002, he enjoyed success on the Challenger circuit and broke through to the ATP Tour in late 2007...

 and Jordan Kerr
Jordan Kerr
Jordan Kerr is an Australian professional tennis player. His highest ATP singles ranking is 356th, which he reached on 7 August 2000. His career high in doubles was at 23rd, which he reached on 18 August 2008...

.

Prior to the Davis Cup tie, Isner competed at the 2010 Abierto Mexicano Telcel Championships
2010 Abierto Mexicano Telcel – Men's Singles
Nicolás Almagro was the defending champion, however he lost 1–6, 7–5, 2–6 to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarterfinals.David Ferrer won in the final 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 against Juan Carlos Ferrero.-Seeds:# Fernando Verdasco ...

, an ATP World Tour 500 series
ATP World Tour 500 series
The ATP World Tour 500 series is the third highest tier of men's tennis tournament after the four Grand Slam tournaments, and the ATP World Tour Masters 1000.The series includes 11 tournaments, with a number of 500 rankings points to win for the events' singles...

 event on clay, where he was the fifth seed. He lost in the first round to Simon Greul
Simon Greul
Simon Greul is a German male tennis player born April 13, 1981. He is 6'1" tall and weighs 176 lbs . His career high rank was #55, achieved on March 22, 2010.-Career:...

. Despite the loss, Isner following the tournament moved into the top 20 for the first time.

Isner appeared at the 2010 Davis Cup
2010 Davis Cup
The 2010 Davis Cup was the 99th edition of the most important annual tournament among national teams in men's tennis worldwide...

 first round, where USA was up against Serbia. In his two singles matches, he faced Serbia's team of world no. 2 Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...

 and world no. 35 Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has Serb and Russian ethnic roots. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Tver and Rostov-on-Don to Serbia in 1917. His career-high ranking is no. 12, achieved on 6 June 2011. He won his first ATP singles title at the 2010 Kremlin Cup,...

. He lost the first singles match against Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has Serb and Russian ethnic roots. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Tver and Rostov-on-Don to Serbia in 1917. His career-high ranking is no. 12, achieved on 6 June 2011. He won his first ATP singles title at the 2010 Kremlin Cup,...

, but bounced back by winning the doubles match with Bob Bryan
Bob Bryan
Robert Charles "Bob" Bryan is an American male professional tennis player. With his twin brother Mike, he has spent over 200 weeks as a World No. 1 doubles player. He has won eighteen Grand Slam titles, 11 in men's doubles and seven in mixed doubles. He turned professional in 1998...

, as a replacement for food-poisoned Mike Bryan
Mike Bryan
Michael Carl "Mike" Bryan is an American professional tennis player. He stands tall, weighs 192 lbs and plays right-handed. He turned professional in 1998. With his twin brother Bob, he has been World No...

. In his second singles match, he lost to Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...

, which enabled Serbia to defeat the United States.

At the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
2010 BNP Paribas Open
The 2010 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2010. It was the 36th edition of the event, known this year as the BNP Paribas Open, and is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on...

 Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, he was seeded 15th and advanced to the fourth round, before losing to world no. 2 and defending champion Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...

.

Afterwards, he appeared in the second master series tournament of the season, the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open
2010 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2010 Sony Ericsson Open , was a tennis tournament for men and women held from March 22 to April 4, 2010. It was the 26th edition of the Miami Masters event and is played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida, located near Miami...

 Masters 1000 in Miami as the 17th seed. He advanced to the third round, before losing to 12th seed Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...

.

Isner began the clay-court season with an opening-round loss to world no. 89 Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis player. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is the only men's player from his country to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP tour. He is sponsored by Prince and Lotto. His nickname is "The X-Man"....

 at the U.S. Men's Claycourt Championship, followed by a round of 32 showing at his first-ever Rome Masters
Rome Masters
The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's...

, where he defeated Horacio Zeballos, before losing to Thomaz Bellucci
Thomaz Bellucci
Thomaz Cocchiarali Bellucci , a professional tennis player, is the top ranked Brazilian tennis player. He achieved a career high ranking of #21 on July 26, 2010....

. However, he teamed with Querrey to reach the doubles final in Rome, before losing to Bob and Mike Bryan; his doubles performance raised his doubles ranking to the top 30 for the first time.

His next tournament was the 2010 Serbian Open
2010 Serbia Open – Singles
Novak Djokovic was the defending champion, but retired trailing 4-6 in the quarterfinals against Filip Krajinović.Sam Querrey won in the final 3–6, 7–6, 6–4 against John Isner.-Seeds:The first four seeds gets a first-round bye....

, where he was the second seed behind defending champion, tournament host, and world no. 2 Djokovic. Isner advanced to the first clay-court final of his career, third final of the year, and fourth final of his career. In the final, he lost to Querrey, despite having a match point while serving up 6–3, 5–4; this was the second consecutive final Isner lost to Querrey after serving for the championship. However, Isner's finals performance improved his ranking to a career-high no. 19.

Isner's next tournament was his debut appearance at the Madrid Masters
2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open – Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but Rafael Nadal defeated him 4–6, 6–7, in the final.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Roger Federer # Rafael Nadal # Andy Murray...

. Seeded thirteenth, he advanced to the round of 16, before losing to world no. 3 and eventual champion Nadal.

Isner then played in the 2010 French Open
2010 French Open – Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Robin Söderling, which allowed him to make a second-successive final here. This was the first time since the 2004 French Open that Federer did not reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.Rafael Nadal won his fifth...

; his ranking assured his first direct seed into a Grand Slam event. Seeded 17th, he defeated Andrey Golubev
Andrey Golubev
Andrey Golubev is a Kazakhstani professional tennis playercurrently living in Italy. His career high rank is #33, achieved on October 4, 2010. He has participated in all Grand Slam tournaments, the first being the 2008 US Open, as well in the main draw of ATP Masters Series and ATP International...

 in the first round for his first singles victory at the French Open. He advanced to the third round, before losing to no. 15 seed and eventual semifinalist Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...

. In doubles, he and Querrey were the 12th seeds, but withdrew prior to the start of the tournament after Querrey's first-round loss in singles.

Despite being ranked no. 19 in the world entering the Wimbledon
2010 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles
The Men's Singles event at the 2010 saw Rafael Nadal, the World No. 1 and 2nd seed, defeat 12th seed Tomáš Berdych 6–3 7–5 6–4 in the final to win his 2nd Wimbledon title, and his 8th Grand Slam title overall....

, Isner was seeded 24th by the tournament committee due to his lack of experience on grass, but was moved up to 23rd following the withdrawal of Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...

. In the first round, Isner played Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...

 in the longest match in tennis history
Isner–Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships
The Isner–Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships is the longest match in tennis history, measured both by time and number of games. In the Gentlemen's Singles tournament first round, the American 23rd seed John Isner defeated the French qualifier Nicolas Mahut after 11 hours, 5 minutes of...

, prevailing 6–4, 3–6, 6–7, 7–6, 70–68. However, fatigued and having little time to recover his energy, Isner was beaten by Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker is a Dutch tennis player, who is currently ranked 99th in the world, and is the second ranked Dutch tennis player...

 in the second round, 0–6, 3–6, 2–6, having served no aces. He also pulled out of the doubles
2010 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Doubles
Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić were the defending champions, however they were beaten in the second round by British wildcards, Chris Eaton and Dominic Inglot.Jürgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner won the final against Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecău 6–1, 7–5, 7–5.-Seeds:# Daniel Nestor / Nenad...

, where he and Querrey had been 12th seeds. Despite having been eliminated in the second round, Isner's total of 113 aces were more than any other player throughout the championship. His Wimbledon performance brought his ranking to a career-high no. 18 in the world.

Isner's next tournament was the 2010 Atlanta Tennis Championships
2010 Atlanta Tennis Championships – Singles
Robby Ginepri was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to fellow American and eventual champion Mardy Fish. Fish won his second title of 2010 and in the month of July by defeating compatriot John Isner 4-6, 6-4, 7-6.-Seeds:...

, where he played doubles
2010 Atlanta Tennis Championships – Doubles
Dmitry Tursunov and Ernests Gulbis were the defending champions, but chose not to participate.Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram won in the final 6–3, 6–7, [12–10], against Rohan Bopanna and Kristof Vliegen.-Seeds:# Colin Fleming / Ken Skupski ...

 with James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...

 and reached the semifinals. In singles, Isner was second seed and made it to his fourth final of the year, before losing to Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...

, which dropped his career record in finals to 1–4 (0–4 against Americans).

Isner next competed at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic
2010 Legg Mason Tennis Classic – Singles
Juan Martin del Potro was the defending champion, but didn't participate due to a wrist injury.David Nalbandian, ranked 117th, defeated Marcos Baghdatis 6–2, 7–6 in the final.-Seeds:All seeds received a bye into the second round....

, the ATP World Tour 500 series
ATP World Tour 500 series
The ATP World Tour 500 series is the third highest tier of men's tennis tournament after the four Grand Slam tournaments, and the ATP World Tour Masters 1000.The series includes 11 tournaments, with a number of 500 rankings points to win for the events' singles...

 event in Washington, D.C. and site of his breakthrough performance in 2007. Isner was also to compete in the doubles
2010 Legg Mason Tennis Classic – Doubles
Martin Damm and Robert Lindstedt were the defending champions, but they chose to not compete together.Damm partnered up with Oliver Marach, but they were eliminated by Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi in the first round....

 with Sam Querrey, but withdrew due to shoulder concerns. Seeded fifth in singles, Isner made it to the round of 16, before losing to Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis player. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is the only men's player from his country to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP tour. He is sponsored by Prince and Lotto. His nickname is "The X-Man"....

.

Isner next played in the Cincinnati Masters
2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters – Singles
Roger Federer became the first player since Andre Agassi in 1996 to have successfully defended the title. He defeated Mardy Fish in the final 6–7, 7–6, 6–4. It was his 4th win at the event also winning in 2005, 2007, and 2009...

, where he was unseeded. After defeating Łukasz Kubot in the first round, he faced 2002 Wimbledon finalist and 2005 Tennis Masters Cup champion David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...

, but was forced to retire up a break at 5–4 in the first set after injuring his right ankle. Although Isner was found to have suffered ligament damage to the ankle, he chose not to withdraw from the US Open singles tournament.

At the 2010 US Open
2010 US Open – Men's Singles
Juan Martín del Potro was the defending champion, but chose not to participate this year, after undergoing a wrist operation in May and only starting to practice again in August...

, Isner was 18th seed and defeated Frederico Gil
Frederico Gil
Frederico Gil is a Portuguese professional tennis player who competes on the ATP Tour. In April 2011, he achieved a career-high singles world ranking no. 62, the highest ranking a Portuguese player has ever held until September when Rui Machado placed 61st in the rankings...

 in the first round. After the match he revealed that although the initial diagnosis was a right ankle ligament tear, a second opinion revealed that the damage was a strain and not a tear, and he declared his ankle 90% healed. He then advanced to the third round, before losing to 12th seed and 2006 US Open semifinalist Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....

. The loss dropped Isner out of the top 20, and from the no. 2 to the no. 4 ranked American player. Due to his ankle injury, he chose not to compete in doubles.

Following the US Open, Isner participated with Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...

 and Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...

 in the Davis Cup tie against Colombia, winning the doubles match with Fish as his partner. The US won the match 3–1 to remain in the 2011 Davis Cup world group. Isner was next granted a wildcard to participate in the 2010 China Open
2010 China Open – Men's Singles
Novak Djokovic was the defending champion and defended his title, defeating David Ferrer 6–2, 6–4 in the final.-Seeds:# Novak Djokovic # Andy Murray # Robin Söderling # Nikolay Davydenko ...

, his first time competing in Beijing. In doubles, he teamed with Querrey, losing in the first round to Bob and Mike Bryan
Bob and Mike Bryan
Twin brothers Robert Charles Bryan and Michael Carl Bryan are American professional tennis double players. They have been the World No. 1 doubles player for over 270 weeks and have finished the ATP year-end number 1 doubles team a record 7 times...

. In singles, Isner was unseeded, but made it to the semifinals, before losing to world no. 2 and defending champion Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...

, 6-7, 2-6. Isner next competed in the Shanghai Masters
2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters 1000 – Singles
Nikolay Davydenko was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Mischa Zverev.Andy Murray won this tournament, by beating Roger Federer 6–3, 6–2 in the final.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round....

, where he was unseeded, and made it to the second round, before losing to world no. 3 and reigning Australian Open champion Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...

 in their first meeting since the 2007 US Open.

2011

On 8 January, Isner began the year by winning, with Bethanie Mattek-Sands, for the USA, the (mixed doubles) Hopman Cup
Hopman Cup
The Hopman Cup is an annual international team tennis tournament held in Perth, Western Australia in early January each year, which plays mixed teams on a country by country basis...

 Final
2011 Hopman Cup
-Serbia vs. Kazakhstan: -Belgium vs. Kazakhstan: -Serbia vs. Australia: -Australia vs. Kazakhstan: -Serbia vs. Belgium: -Standings:...

, 6–1, 6–3, against Belgium: Justine Henin and Ruben Bemelmans
Ruben Bemelmans
Ruben Bemelmans , is a Belgian male professional tennis player. His career-high rank ATP singles ranking was No. 172 reached on October 26, 2009. His best doubles rank is No. 245....

.

Following his win in Perth, Isner returned to Auckland to defend his ATP title at the 2011 Heineken Open
Heineken Open (tennis)
The Heineken Open is a tennis tournament on the ATP International Series played in Auckland, New Zealand. It was also a combined mens and womens tournament until 1981.-History:...

. After a bye in his first round, the third seed faced Dutch world no. 52 Robin Haase
Robin Haase
Robin Haase is a Dutch tennis player. Haase is currently the highest-ranked Dutch player, with his career high of No. 41 coming on 29 August 2011. He is endorsed by Head and SNS Reaal.-Career:...

. Isner defeated Hasse, 3–6, 7–6, 7–5, to go through to the quarterfinals, where he was defeated by David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...

 in straight sets, 4–6, 6–7.

Isner next played in the first Grand Slam on the 2011 calendar the Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...

. Isner, entered the tournament seeded 20th and received a tough draw including Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...

, Marin Čilić
Marin Cilic
Marin Čilić , is a Croatian professional tennis player. His career high ATP ranking is no. 9, achieved on 22 February 2010, following his best-ever performance at a Grand Slam, reaching the semi-finals in the 2010 Australian Open...

 and Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...

. Isner came up against French world no. 69 Florent Serra
Florent Serra
Florent Lucien Serra is a French male tennis player. A right-hander, he has won two ATP titles during his career and is coached by Pierre Cherret.-Early life and junior career:...

, whom he easily defeated, 6–3, 7–6, 6–3. Isner faced Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...

 in the second round. After losing the first set 4–6, Isner rallied to defeat Stepanek, 4–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–1, to progress into the third round. In the third round, Isner faced fellow top-20 player Marin Čilić
Marin Cilic
Marin Čilić , is a Croatian professional tennis player. His career high ATP ranking is no. 9, achieved on 22 February 2010, following his best-ever performance at a Grand Slam, reaching the semi-finals in the 2010 Australian Open...

. The match went to five sets, with Cilic emerging as the eventual winner, 4–6, 6–2, 6–7, 7–6, 9–7.

At the 2011 French Open
2011 French Open – Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal, the defending champion and, after this tournament, six-time winner of this event defended his title by beating long-time rival Roger Federer for his sixth French Open title, tying him with Björn Borg for most all-time in the open era. Notably, the Spaniard played his first ever...

, Isner was drawn against top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...

. Isner took what was considered a surprise two-sets-to-one lead against Nadal, who had never played a five-set match at Roland Garros
Stade Roland Garros
Le Stade de Roland Garros is a tennis venue located in Paris, France. It hosts the French Open tennis tournament , a Grand Slam event played annually in May and June. The facility was constructed in 1928 to host France's first defense of the Davis Cup...

 and had only been defeated once there in the previous six years, before he was eventually defeated, 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(2), 2-6, 4-6. Nadal went on to win the title.
Ironically, in the 2011 Wimbledon men's singles draw, Isner was paired against Mahut in the first round, a rematch of the world's longest match from the previous year's tournament, which he went on to win in straight sets. However, he lost in the second round to the 16th seed Nicolas Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...

 in four sets, dropping his 2011 record to 11–14.

Isner next took a last-minute wild card to participate in the 2011 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships
2011 Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships – Singles
Mardy Fish was the defending champion, but decided to participate in the Davis Cup instead.No. 1 seed John Isner won the tournament, beating Belgian Olivier Rochus in the final, 6–3, 7–6...

, replacing compatriot and defending champion Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...

, who was chosen to play in the Davis Cup for the United States during the same weekend as the tournament. Isner was the top seed and defeated Karol Beck
Karol Beck
Karol Beck is a male tennis player from Slovakia, who turned professional in 2001. He has been ranked as high as 36th in the world .- Career :On October 25, 2004, Beck lost in the final of the St...

, 2001 Australian Open finalist Arnaud Clement
Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément is a professional tennis player from France. His best achievement is reaching the final of the 2001 Australian Open.-Career:Clément was born in Aix-en-Provence, and currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland...

, Alex Bogomolov, Jr.
Alex Bogomolov, Jr.
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Bogomolov, most known as Alex Bogomolov Jr. , nicknamed Bogie, is a Russian professional tennis player.-Tennis career:...

, and Tobias Kamke
Tobias Kamke
Tobias Kamke is a German tennis player. He reached his career high ranking in singles at No. 64 on 31 January 2011 and in doubles at No. 419 on 17 October 2011.-2008:...

 without dropping a set, to reach his first career grass-court final. In the final, he defeated Olivier Rochus
Olivier Rochus
Olivier Rochus is a Belgian tennis player. He was born in Namur, Belgium, and currently resides in Auvelais, Belgium.-Career:...

, 6–3, 7–6, to become the first top seed in 35 years to win the event. The title was his first of 2011 and second of his career, raising his record in ATP finals to 2–0 against non-Americans, and ending a three-match losing streak in finals. The championship raised Isner's world ranking from no. 48 to no. 36.

Isner next played in the 2011 Atlanta Tennis Championships
2011 Atlanta Tennis Championships – Singles
Mardy Fish was the defending champion, and in a repeat of the previous year's final, he successfully defended his title by defeating his compatriot John Isner after dropping the opening set...

, where he was the third seed. He defeated James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...

, Lu Yen-hsun
Lu Yen-hsun
Lu Yen-hsun is a Taiwanese professional tennis player. He goes by the nickname Rendy. As of November 1, 2010, Lu is ranked #33 in the world and #1 in Asia. His favorite surface is hardcourt.- Junior career:...

, and Gilles Müller
Gilles Müller
Gilles Müller is a Luxembourgish professional tennis player. He was a US Open junior champion and is the most successful male tennis player in the history of his country...

 to reach his second consecutive tour final and successfully defended the ranking points he acquired from reaching the final of this event in 2010. In the final, he faced Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...

 in a rematch of the 2010 final. Isner was ultimately defeated by Fish, 6–3, 6–7, 2–6. He then reached the semifinals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic
Legg Mason Tennis Classic
The Legg Mason Tennis Classic is an annual late-summer men's tennis tournament played in Washington, D.C. as part of the ATP Tour. It was first held in 1969. It was later known as the Sovran Bank Classic. . Originally an event of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour and part of the Grand Prix Championship...

, defeating Tobias Kamke
Tobias Kamke
Tobias Kamke is a German tennis player. He reached his career high ranking in singles at No. 64 on 31 January 2011 and in doubles at No. 419 on 17 October 2011.-2008:...

, James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...

, Victor Troicki, before losing to Gael Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...

, 4–6, 6–3, 6–7.

At the Rogers Cup, Isner defeated Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
At the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...

, 6–3, 6–4, but lost to Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has Serb and Russian ethnic roots. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Tver and Rostov-on-Don to Serbia in 1917. His career-high ranking is no. 12, achieved on 6 June 2011. He won his first ATP singles title at the 2010 Kremlin Cup,...

 4–6, 6–3, 2–6 in the second round. Isner won the Winston-Salem Open
Winston-Salem Open
The Winston-Salem Open is a tennis tournament played on the ATP Tour at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in the USA. It made its debut at Winston-Salem in 2011 and is part of the 250 tier of events...

 as the fourth seed, defeating Dudi Sela
Dudi Sela
David "Dudi" Sela is an Israeli professional tennis player.Sela reached a career-high singles ranking of # 29 in July 2009. He is currently Israel's top men's singles player, ahead of Amir Weintraub.As a 17-year-old junior, he won the 2003 French Open boys' doubles championship with his doubles...

, Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...

, Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
At the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...

, and Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....

 in the semifinals, before defeating Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva...

, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, in the final.

In the US Open
2011 US Open (tennis)
The 2011 US Open was a tennis tournament played on the outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, of Queens, New York City, United States...

, Isner defeated Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
At the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...

, Robby Ginepri
Robby Ginepri
Robert Louis Ginepri is an American professional tennis player.-Early life:Robby Ginepri is of Luxembourgish ancestry....

, Alex Bogomolov Jr., and Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...

 on the way to the quarterfinals. There, he was defeated by Andy Murray, 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(2).

John reached the semifinals at the Master's 1000 in Paris. He faces Jo-Willifried Tsonga in the semifinals. Regardless of whether he wins, he will climb back into the ATP top 20.

Longest match in history

In the singles as the 23rd seed at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships
2010 Wimbledon Championships
The 2010 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament ran from Monday 21 June until Sunday 4 July 2010. It was the 124th staging of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand...

, Isner, attempting to win his first 2010 match at Wimbledon, faced qualifier Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...

 in the first round. Isner won the match 6–4, 3–6, 6–7, 7–6, 70–68.

In the match, Isner set the record for most aces in a match, breaking Ivo Karlović's record of 78; Mahut passed the old mark as well. Isner served an all-time record of 113 aces, ahead of the 103 aces served by Mahut.

At 21:13 BST
British Summer Time
Western European Summer Time is a summer daylight saving time scheme, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in the following places:* the Canary Islands* Portugal * Ireland...

 on June 23 the match was suspended due to darkness for a second day at 59–59 in the fifth set. The match resumed on 24 June, at 15:30 BST
British Summer Time
Western European Summer Time is a summer daylight saving time scheme, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in the following places:* the Canary Islands* Portugal * Ireland...

, starting the third day of the match. Overall, the match lasted eleven hours and five minutes. Isner also set the record for most games won in a Wimbledon match with 92.

The match brought Isner a measure of fame, particularly in the United States. He had guest appearances on "Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...

" and the "Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...

", and threw the ceremonial first pitch at a New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

 game in Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...

. He and Mahut also won the 2010 ESPY Award for Best Record-Breaking Performance in sport.
Line Score:
1 (32') 2 (29') 3 (49') 4 (64') 5 (491')
  Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...

 (Q)
4 6 7 63 68
  John Isner (23rd) 6 3 67 7 70

Playing style and equipment

Isner has a powerful serve, thanks in part to his 6-ft, 9-in height. Commentators have also praised his composure; in five consecutive 3rd-set tiebreaker wins in Washington, he delivered huge serves when it mattered most. Isner also has a very powerful forehand as well. On serve, Isner often goes for one-two points, a big serve followed up by a big forehand. He is also known to back up his serves with approaches to the net, though he does not strictly serve-and-volley. Isner's movement around the court is hampered by his body and he is hurt by players who move him around the court. Isner's fitness has improved considerably over the years and he displayed this during his win in the longest tennis match ever
Isner–Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships
The Isner–Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships is the longest match in tennis history, measured both by time and number of games. In the Gentlemen's Singles tournament first round, the American 23rd seed John Isner defeated the French qualifier Nicolas Mahut after 11 hours, 5 minutes of...

 at Wimbledon
2010 Wimbledon Championships
The 2010 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament ran from Monday 21 June until Sunday 4 July 2010. It was the 124th staging of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand...

 against Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...

.

He is sponsored by Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...

 and Prince
Prince Sports
Prince Sports, Inc., based in Bordentown, New Jersey, is a manufacturer of equipment for racquet sports, primarily for tennis, badminton, and squash....

 for his attire and racquets respectively.

Personal life

Isner was born in Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...

. He has two older brothers, Nathan and Jordan. Isner started playing tennis seriously at age 11 under the tutelage of Oscar Blacutt and Rob Stephens at the Carolina Tennis Academy. He is a graduate of Walter Hines Page Senior High School, in Greensboro, and the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...

, where he majored in Speech Communication. He currently resides in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

 where he trains at the Saddlebrook Academy alongside other American tennis pros such as James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...

 and Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...

.

Records

  • These records were attained in the Open Era
    Open era
    Open era or Open Era may refer to:* Open Era , the period since 1968 where professionals can compete in Grand Slams* Glasnost era, the increased openness in the Soviet Union from the mid-1980s...

     of tennis.
    Tournament|Year|Record accomplished|Player tied/shares with
    Wimbledon 2010
    2010 Wimbledon Championships
    The 2010 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament ran from Monday 21 June until Sunday 4 July 2010. It was the 124th staging of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand...

    Most aces in an ATP singles match (113) Stands alone
    Most aces in a Grand Slam singles match (113) Stands alone
    Most aces in a single set (85) Stands alone
    Most games won in a single match (92) Stands alone
    Most winners in a single match (246) Stands alone
    Longest singles match ever played (11 hours, 5 minutes) Nicolas Mahut
    Nicolas Mahut
    Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...

    Longest play in a single day (7 hours, 6 minutes) Nicolas Mahut
    Most games in a single day (118) Nicolas Mahut

Singles: 8 (3–5)

EWLINE
Legend (pre/post 2009)
Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...

 (0–0)
Tennis Masters Cup
Tennis Masters Cup
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is a tennis tournament played at the end of each year, involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings....

 /
ATP World Tour Finals (0–0)
ATP Masters Series
ATP Masters Series
The ATP Masters Series was a series of nine tennis tournaments that formed part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America...

 /
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...

 (0–0)
ATP International Series Gold
ATP International Series Gold
International Series Gold was a series of professional tennis tournaments held internationally that were part of the ATP Tour. International Series Gold offered players cash prizes and the ability to earn ATP ranking points...

 /
ATP World Tour 500 series
ATP World Tour 500 series
The ATP World Tour 500 series is the third highest tier of men's tennis tournament after the four Grand Slam tournaments, and the ATP World Tour Masters 1000.The series includes 11 tournaments, with a number of 500 rankings points to win for the events' singles...

 (0–1)
ATP International Series
ATP International Series
The International Series was a series of professional tennis tournaments held internationally as part of the ATP Tour until 2008....

 /
ATP World Tour 250 series
ATP World Tour 250 series
The ATP World Tour 250 series is a new series for tennis tournaments of the Association of Tennis Professionals from the 2009 ATP World Tour...

 (3–4)
EWLINE
Titles by Surface
Hard (2–4)
Clay (0–1)
Grass (1–0)
Carpet (0–0)
EWLINE
Titles by Surface
Outdoors (3–4)
Indoors (0–1)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 1. 5 August 2007   Washington, D.C.
2007 Legg Mason Tennis Classic
The 2007 Legg Mason Tenis Classic was the 38th edition of this tennis tournament and was played on outdoor hard courts. The tournament was part of the International Series of the 2007 ATP Tour. It was held at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Washington, D.C. from July 30 through August...

, United States
Hard   Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....

4–6, 6–7(4–7)
Winner 1. 16 January 2010   Auckland
2010 Heineken Open
The 2010 Heineken Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 35th edition of the Heineken Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...

, New Zealand
Hard   Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément is a professional tennis player from France. His best achievement is reaching the final of the 2001 Australian Open.-Career:Clément was born in Aix-en-Provence, and currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland...

6–3, 5–7, 7–6(7–2)
Runner-up 2. 21 February 2010   Memphis, U.S. Hard (i)   Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...

7–6(7–3), 6–7(5–7), 3–6
Runner-up 3. 9 May 2010   Belgrade
2010 Serbia Open
The 2010 Serbia Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 2nd edition of the event. It was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...

, Serbia
Clay   Sam Querrey 6–3, 6–7(4–7), 4–6
Runner-up 4. 25 July 2010   Atlanta
2010 Atlanta Tennis Championships
The 2010 Atlanta Tennis Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 23rd edition of the event known that year as the Atlanta Tennis Championships and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...

, U.S.
Hard   Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...

6–4, 4–6, 6–7(4–7)
Winner 2. 10 July 2011   Newport
2011 Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships
The 2011 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 35th edition of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...

, U.S.
Grass   Olivier Rochus
Olivier Rochus
Olivier Rochus is a Belgian tennis player. He was born in Namur, Belgium, and currently resides in Auvelais, Belgium.-Career:...

6–3, 7–6(8–6)
Runner-up 5. 24 July 2011   Atlanta
2011 Atlanta Tennis Championships
The 2011 Atlanta Tennis Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 24rd edition of the event known that year as the Atlanta Tennis Championships and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...

, U.S. (2)
Hard   Mardy Fish 6–3, 6–7(6–8), 2–6
Winner 3. 27 August 2011   Winston-Salem
2011 Winston-Salem Open
The 2011 Winston–Salem Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was previously known as the Pilot Pen Tennis but was relocated to Winston Salem. It was the 43rd edition of the Winston-Salem Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...

, U.S.
Hard   Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva...

4–6, 6–3, 6–4

Doubles: 3 (3–2)

EWLINE
Legend (pre/post 2009)
Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...

 (0–0)
Tennis Masters Cup
Tennis Masters Cup
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is a tennis tournament played at the end of each year, involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings....

 /
ATP World Tour Finals (0–0)
ATP Masters Series
ATP Masters Series
The ATP Masters Series was a series of nine tennis tournaments that formed part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America...

 /
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...

 (1–1)
ATP International Series Gold
ATP International Series Gold
International Series Gold was a series of professional tennis tournaments held internationally that were part of the ATP Tour. International Series Gold offered players cash prizes and the ability to earn ATP ranking points...

 /
ATP World Tour 500 series
ATP World Tour 500 series
The ATP World Tour 500 series is the third highest tier of men's tennis tournament after the four Grand Slam tournaments, and the ATP World Tour Masters 1000.The series includes 11 tournaments, with a number of 500 rankings points to win for the events' singles...

 (1–0)
ATP International Series
ATP International Series
The International Series was a series of professional tennis tournaments held internationally as part of the ATP Tour until 2008....

 /
ATP World Tour 250 series
ATP World Tour 250 series
The ATP World Tour 250 series is a new series for tennis tournaments of the Association of Tennis Professionals from the 2009 ATP World Tour...

 (1–1)
EWLINE
Titles by Surface
Hard (1–0)
Clay (1–2)
Grass (1–0)
Carpet (0–0)
EWLINE
Titles by Surface
Outdoors (3–2)
Indoors (0–0)

Wins (3) / Runner-ups (1)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents in the final Score
Winner 1. July 7, 2008 Newport, United States Grass   Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...

  Rohan Bopanna
Rohan Bopanna
Rohan Bopanna is an Indian professional tennis player. His singles career high ranking was 213th in 2007. Recently, most of his appearances in professional tournaments has been in doubles matches. He is a member of the Indian Davis Cup team since 2002...

 
  Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi is a professional tennis player from Pakistan. He is currently Pakistan's top player. A top 10 doubles player, his highest Singles Race ranking is 103rd and is the former Asian No. 3...

6–4, 7–6(7–1)
Winner 2. February 21, 2010 Memphis, U.S. Hard   Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...

  Ross Hutchins
Ross Hutchins
Ross Dan Hutchins is a British professional tennis player, known best as a doubles player. Hutchins was born in Wimbledon, a location synonymous with tennis. Having turned professional in 2002, he enjoyed success on the Challenger circuit and broke through to the ATP Tour in late 2007...

 
  Jordan Kerr
Jordan Kerr
Jordan Kerr is an Australian professional tennis player. His highest ATP singles ranking is 356th, which he reached on 7 August 2000. His career high in doubles was at 23rd, which he reached on 18 August 2008...

6–4, 6–4
Runner-up 1. May 2, 2010 Rome
2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia – Men's Doubles
Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić were the defending champions, but lost in the second round to Pablo Cuevas and Juan Mónaco.Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan defeated their compatriots John Isner and Sam Querrey in the final...

, Italy
Clay   Sam Querrey   Bob Bryan
Bob Bryan
Robert Charles "Bob" Bryan is an American male professional tennis player. With his twin brother Mike, he has spent over 200 weeks as a World No. 1 doubles player. He has won eighteen Grand Slam titles, 11 in men's doubles and seven in mixed doubles. He turned professional in 1998...

 
  Mike Bryan
Mike Bryan
Michael Carl "Mike" Bryan is an American professional tennis player. He stands tall, weighs 192 lbs and plays right-handed. He turned professional in 1998. With his twin brother Bob, he has been World No...

2–6, 3–6
Runner-up 2. April 9, 2011 Houston
2011 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships – Doubles
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan successfully defended their 2010 title, defeating John Isner and Sam Querrey in the final.-Seeds:# Bob Bryan / Mike Bryan # Eric Butorac / Jean-Julien Rojer ...

, United States
Clay   Sam Querrey   Bob Bryan
Bob Bryan
Robert Charles "Bob" Bryan is an American male professional tennis player. With his twin brother Mike, he has spent over 200 weeks as a World No. 1 doubles player. He has won eighteen Grand Slam titles, 11 in men's doubles and seven in mixed doubles. He turned professional in 1998...

 
  Mike Bryan
Mike Bryan
Michael Carl "Mike" Bryan is an American professional tennis player. He stands tall, weighs 192 lbs and plays right-handed. He turned professional in 1998. With his twin brother Bob, he has been World No...

7–6(7–4), 2–6, [5–10]
Winner 3. May 15, 2011 Rome
2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia – Men's Doubles
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan were the defending champions, but they lost to Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals.Roddick eventually withdrew from the final because of a shoulder injury and American couple John Isner and Sam Querrey won the title.-Seeds:...

, Italy
Clay   Sam Querrey   Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish
Mardy Simpson Fish is an American professional tennis player, and Olympic silver medalist. He is a hardcourt specialist...

 
  Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....

W/O

Mixed Doubles

In January 2011, Isner teamed with Bethanie Mattek-Sands for the USA, and they reached the (mixed doubles) Hopman Cup
Hopman Cup
The Hopman Cup is an annual international team tennis tournament held in Perth, Western Australia in early January each year, which plays mixed teams on a country by country basis...

 Final
2011 Hopman Cup
-Serbia vs. Kazakhstan: -Belgium vs. Kazakhstan: -Serbia vs. Australia: -Australia vs. Kazakhstan: -Serbia vs. Belgium: -Standings:...

 – Belgium V USA that they won 6–1 6–3 (Belgium: Justine Henin and Ruben Bemelmans
Ruben Bemelmans
Ruben Bemelmans , is a Belgian male professional tennis player. His career-high rank ATP singles ranking was No. 172 reached on October 26, 2009. His best doubles rank is No. 245....

)

Singles performance timeline

To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only after a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through 2011 BNP Paribas Masters
2011 BNP Paribas Masters
The 2011 BNP Paribas Masters was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 40th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2011 ATP World Tour...

.
Tournament2007
2007 ATP Tour
The ATP Tour is the elite tour for professional tennis organised by the ATP. The ATP Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Tennis Masters Cup, the ATP Masters Series, the International Series Gold and the International Series tournaments.-January:...

2008
2008 ATP Tour
The ATP Tour is the elite tour for professional tennis organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The ATP Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Tennis Masters Cup, the ATP Masters Series, the International Series Gold and the International Series tournaments.-Schedule:This...

2009
2009 ATP World Tour
The Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organised by the ATP. The 2009 ATP World Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, the ATP World Tour 500 series, the ATP World Tour 250 series, the ATP World...

2010
2010 ATP World Tour
The Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the ATP. The 2010 ATP World Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, the ATP World Tour 500 series, the ATP World Tour 250 series, the ATP World...

2011
2011 ATP World Tour
The Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the ATP. The 2011 ATP World Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, the ATP World Tour 500 series, the ATP World Tour 250 series, the ATP World...

2012
2012 ATP World Tour
The Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the ATP. The 2012 ATP World Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, the ATP World Tour 500 series, the ATP World Tour 250 series, the ATP World...

|SR|W–L
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...

A 1R 1R 4R
2010 Australian Open – Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but retired due to a right knee injury trailing 3–6, 6–7, 0–3 in the quarterfinals against Andy Murray.Roger Federer met Andy Murray in the final of this event...

3R
2011 Australian Open – Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Novak Djokovic, who went on to win the tournament by defeating Andy Murray 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 in the final. It was Djokovic's 2nd title at the Australian Open, with this title bearing many resemblances to his title in 2008. Djokovic...

0 / 4 5–4
French Open A 1R A 3R
2010 French Open – Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Robin Söderling, which allowed him to make a second-successive final here. This was the first time since the 2004 French Open that Federer did not reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.Rafael Nadal won his fifth...

1R
2011 French Open – Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal, the defending champion and, after this tournament, six-time winner of this event defended his title by beating long-time rival Roger Federer for his sixth French Open title, tying him with Björn Borg for most all-time in the open era. Notably, the Spaniard played his first ever...

0 / 3 2–3
Wimbledon A 1R A 2R
2010 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles
The Men's Singles event at the 2010 saw Rafael Nadal, the World No. 1 and 2nd seed, defeat 12th seed Tomáš Berdych 6–3 7–5 6–4 in the final to win his 2nd Wimbledon title, and his 8th Grand Slam title overall....

2R
2011 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal was the defending champion but lost to Novak Djokovic in the final.Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title. Upon reaching the final, he gained the World No.1 ranking as a result. This marks the first time that neither Roger Federer nor Rafael Nadal is ranked No...

0 / 3 2–3
US Open 3R 1R 4R 3R
2010 US Open – Men's Singles
Juan Martín del Potro was the defending champion, but chose not to participate this year, after undergoing a wrist operation in May and only starting to practice again in August...

QF
2011 US Open – Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but was defeated in the final by Novak Djokovic with a score of 6–2, 6–4, 6–7, 6–1. Djokovic claimed his first US Open title, his third Grand Slam of the year, and his fourth Grand Slam overall.-Seeds:...

0 / 5 11–5
Win–Loss 2–1 0–4 3–2 8–4 7–4 0 / 15 20–15
Year-End Championship
ATP World Tour Finals A A A A A 0 / 0 0–0
Olympic Games
Summer Olympics
Tennis at the Summer Olympics
Tennis was part of the Summer Olympic Games program from the inaugural 1896 Summer Olympics, but was dropped after the 1924 Summer Olympics...

NH A Not Held 0 / 0 0–0
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells Masters
Indian Wells Masters
The Indian Wells Masters is an annual tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California....

A 2R 4R 4R
2010 BNP Paribas Open – Men's Singles
The Men's singles tournament of this event started in the week of March 8. It was the year's first of nine tournaments in the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series.Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but he lost to Ivan Ljubičić in the semifinals....

3R
2011 BNP Paribas Open – Men's Singles
The 2011 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2011. It was the 37th edition of the event, known as the BNP Paribas Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2011...

0 / 4 7–4
Miami Masters
Miami Masters
The Miami Masters is an annual tennis tournament for men and women held in Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida. It is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the men's tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the women's tour and is played on hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park...

A 1R 2R 3R
2010 Sony Ericsson Open – Men's Singles
Andy Murray was the defending champion, but lost to Mardy Fish in the second round.Andy Roddick beat Tomáš Berdych 7-5, 6-4 to win his first Masters 1000 event since 2006...

4R
2011 Sony Ericsson Open – Men's Singles
Andy Roddick was the defending champion, but lost to Pablo Cuevas in the second round.Novak Djokovic won the title, defeating Rafael Nadal 4–6, 6–3, 7–6 in the final for the second week in a row after also beating him in the Indian Wells final the previous week...

0 / 4 4–4
Monte Carlo Masters A A A A A 0 / 0 0–0
Rome Masters
Rome Masters
The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's...

A A A 2R
2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia – Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal successfully defended his title by defeating David Ferrer 7–5, 6–2.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Roger Federer # Novak Djokovic # Rafael Nadal ...

1R
2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia – Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, however he lost to Novak Djokovic in the final. Djokovic defeated him 6–4, 6–4 to win his 39th consecutive match and his 7th title of 2011...

0 / 2 1–2
Madrid Masters
Madrid Masters
There are two sporting events named the Madrid Masters:*Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open — a men's and women's tennis tournament*Madrid Masters...

A A A 3R
2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open – Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but Rafael Nadal defeated him 4–6, 6–7, in the final.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Roger Federer # Rafael Nadal # Andy Murray...

2R
2011 Mutua Madrid Open – Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal was the defending champion but lost to world No. 2 Novak Djokovic 7–5, 6–4 in the final. It was the second win for Djokovic on a ATP Master 1000 Tournament played on clay courts, the 6th title of the year and 24th of his career...

0 / 2 3–2
Canada Masters
Canada Masters
The Canada Masters , currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual tennis tournament held in Canada. The men's competition is a Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 tournament on the Women's Tennis Association tour...

A A 2R A 2R
2011 Rogers Cup – Men's Singles
Andy Murray was the two-time defending champion, but lost to Kevin Anderson in the second round.World No.1 Novak Djokovic won his 10th Masters 1000 title of his career and his 9th title of the year, beating Mardy Fish in the final 6–2, 3–6, 6–4...

0 / 2 2–2
Cincinnati Masters
Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...

1R 2R 2R 2R
2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters – Singles
Roger Federer became the first player since Andre Agassi in 1996 to have successfully defended the title. He defeated Mardy Fish in the final 6–7, 7–6, 6–4. It was his 4th win at the event also winning in 2005, 2007, and 2009...

1R
2011 Western & Southern Open – Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the two-time defending champion, but lost to Tomáš Berdych in the quarterfinals.Andy Murray won the tournament beating No.1 seed Novak Djokovic in the final, 6–4, 3–0 ret. It was the 7th ATP Masters 1000 title of Murray's career, and his first in 2011...

0 / 5 3–5
Shanghai Masters NMS 1R 2R A 0 / 2 1–2
Paris Masters
Paris Masters
The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour...

A A 2R 2R
2010 BNP Paribas Masters – Singles
Novak Djokovic was the defending champion, but lost in the third round to Michaël Llodra.Robin Söderling won the title, defeating Gaël Monfils 6–1, 7–6 in the final.-Seeds:All seeds received a bye into the second round.# Roger Federer ...

SF
2011 BNP Paribas Masters – Singles
Robin Söderling was the defending champion, but could not participate due to mononucleosis.Roger Federer won the title, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6–1, 7–6 in the final.-Seeds:All seeds received a bye into the second round....

0 / 3 5–3
Win–Loss 0–1 2–3 7–6 8–7 9–7 0 / 24 26–24
Career Statistics
Titles–Finals 0–1 0–0 0–0 1–4 2–3 3 / 8 3–8
Year End Ranking 106 144 34 19 18 $2,928,592

Head-to-head record against other players

Isner's win-loss record against certain players who have been ranked World No. 10 or higher is as follows:

Players who have been ranked World No. 1 are in boldface.
  • Marcos Baghdatis
    Marcos Baghdatis
    At the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...

     3–0
  • Tommy Haas
    Tommy Haas
    Tommy Haas is a German and recently naturalized American professional tennis player. He has competed on the ATP Tour since 1996. After breaking into the world top 100 in 1997, and reaching a career-high ranking of world no...

     3–1
  • Arnaud Clément
    Arnaud Clément
    Arnaud Clément is a professional tennis player from France. His best achievement is reaching the final of the 2001 Australian Open.-Career:Clément was born in Aix-en-Provence, and currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland...

     2–0
  • Tommy Robredo
    Tommy Robredo
    Tommy Robredo Garcés is a Spanish professional tennis player. On 8 May 2006, he broke into the world's top ten for the first time. His highest singles ranking to date is No...

     1–0
  • Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 1–0
  • Gaël Monfils
    Gaël Monfils
    Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...

     3–3
  • Richard Gasquet
    Richard Gasquet
    Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year...

     1–1
  • Stanislas Wawrinka
    Stanislas Wawrinka
    Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...

     1–1
  • Fernando González
    Fernando González
    ----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...

     1–1
  • Marat Safin
    Marat Safin
    Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...

    1–1
  • Andy Roddick
    Andy Roddick
    Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....

    2–3
  • Nikolay Davydenko
    Nikolay Davydenko
    Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...

     1–2
  • Tomáš Berdych
    Tomáš Berdych
    Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...

     1–2
  • Juan Carlos Ferrero
    Juan Carlos Ferrero
    Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...

    0–1
  • Andy Murray 0–1
  • Fernando Verdasco
    Fernando Verdasco
    Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...

     0–1
  • David Ferrer
    David Ferrer
    David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...

     1–3
  • David Nalbandian
    David Nalbandian
    David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...

     0–2
  • Novak Djokovic
    Novak Djokovic
    Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...

    0–2
  • Roger Federer
    Roger Federer
    Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...

    0–2
  • Lleyton Hewitt
    Lleyton Hewitt
    Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...

    0–2
  • Mikhail Youzhny
    Mikhail Youzhny
    Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....

     0–2
  • Juan Martín del Potro
    Juan Martin Del Potro
    Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...

     0–3
  • Rafael Nadal
    Rafael Nadal
    Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...

    0–3

*As of 2011-08-26.

External links

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