Isner: ‘This Is Crazy’

John Isner has had an adventurous couple of weeks to say the least.

Arriving at Crandon Park, the 32-year-old American had won two tour-level matches all year (2-6). And in his opener at the Miami Open presented by Itau against Jiri Vesely, he lost the second set and appeared he could possibly suffer another early exit.

Yet, after his second win against a Top 5 opponent in this tournament alone (now 10 in his career) on Sunday, Isner leaves Key Biscayne as the oldest first-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 champion in history.

“I never thought I would be in this moment considering how I was playing coming into this event,” Isner said.

In fact, at two of his previous three events, Isner failed to convert on match point(s) before suffering early exits. He lost in his opener at the BNP Paribas Open against Gael Monfils after holding one match point and he was bounced earlier in the year in the second round of the Delray Beach Open after failing to convert on three match points against Peter Gojowczyk.

How was he able to get over all that disappointment and turn it around to win the biggest title of his career, when his first 12 triumphs all came at the ATP World Tour 250-level? According to the American, his early-season struggles had nothing to do with how he was feeling physically on the court. “It was more mental,” he admitted.

Believe it or not, the shift in his season all began with a dinner. When Isner arrived in Miami, he had dinner with his coach, David Macpherson, on a Wednesday night. They didn’t have much to discuss technique-wise.

“I especially hashed out what’s been holding me back, and it’s not more reps on the court. I mean, I’m doing that. It’s not more time in the gym. I have been doing that. It was just mental things and myself being tight and tentative on the court holding me back. That’s the reason why I was losing close matches,” Isner said. “We cleared that hurdle this week. So I went into every match super-fresh mentally and loose. After each match I won, we would have another dinner, have another dinner, have another dinner, and we kept hammering that point: just be loose, and I will be a force if I can play freely.”

Isner was certainly able to do that. The right-hander, who will equal his career-best ATP Ranking of No. 9 on Monday, faced just a single break point against World No. 3 Marin Cilic, reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Hyeon Chung and arguably the hottest player on Tour, Indian Wells champion Juan Martin del Potro.

So this is what @rogerfederer feels like every other week. @miamiopen . Happy Easter!!! ? pic.twitter.com/4KsHiEeRMX

— John Isner (@JohnIsner) April 1, 2018

And then in the final, despite losing a heartbreaking first set in which he failed to convert on five break points against fifth seed Alexander Zverev — who he has practised with since the German was a young teenager — he was still able to find a way to win, which he hadn’t done all year.

“Somewhere along in the second set I found a second wind,” said Isner, who was not broken in his final 53 service games of the tournament. “To win like that in front of a crowd like that, with that atmosphere, you can’t replicate moments like that. It was absolutely amazing.”

It certainly was a special way to bring the 32-year Crandon Park-era of the Miami Open presented by Itau to a close.

“For me to come out the winner in the last men’s singles match ever here is pretty unique,” Isner said. “This is crazy.”