In Memphis, Isner Chases Rare Missing U.S. Title

If you think of stretches of John Isner’s career as a title tour around the U.S., the American has claimed nearly every crown in the country.

He’s won the Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston once. The former Georgia Bulldog has claimed the BB&T Atlanta Open three times.

Isner has won two titles on the grass at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport. The 6’10” right-hander, who’s from North Carolina, has captured his home-state tournament, the Winston-Salem Open, twice.

But, although Isner has taken eight ATP World Tour titles in the U.S., his trophy case is still missing title hardware from the Memphis Open. This week, Isner will try to change that during his eighth appearance at the indoor tournament.

“I’m known for playing my best in America but I have never won this… I would love to this year,” Isner told ATPWorldTour.com earlier this week. “The field is strong. I knew it would be but I’m excited to get out there.”

Isner is the second seed in the ATP World Tour 250 tournament, with top seed Ivo Karlovic leading the field. The American has come close to taking the title at The Racquet Club of Memphis in years past. Isner has reached the quarter-finals twice – 2012 and 2015 – and made the final in 2010 before falling to compatriot Sam Querrey.

“I’ve loved playing this tournament throughout my career. So coming back was a pretty easy decision for me,” said Isner, who played at the Argentina Open during this week last season. “I think all Americans love this tournament. We cherish the events we get to play in our home country. We travel so much so for me to play a tournament that’s just an hour-and-a-half flight, it’s nice. It’s virtually no travel compared to other places I go.”

Isner, who lives in Tampa, Florida, arrives in Memphis at No. 23 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, 12 spots below where he was a year ago. The dip follows a title-less 2016, the first year Isner didn’t hoist a championship trophy since 2009. “Mediocre” was how Isner termed his 2016 season.

But there were plenty of bright spots for the 31 year old, including his third career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final at the Paris Masters in November (l. to Murray).

“I did, in my opionion, salvage my season quite a bit. I played awesome tennis at the Paris Masters. That’s the way I was trying to play all year,” he said. “Obviously it’s easier said than done but I played fantastic that week and would like to put some more great weeks together this year.”

The Memphis Open field featured 10 Americans, including a mixture of tennis generations. Isner is here with his contemporaries, including Querrey and Steve Johnson. #NextGenATP Americans, including 19-year-olds Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Reilly Opelka and 20-year-old Jared Donaldson, have arrived in Tennessee as well.

More: Back In Memphis, Fritz Looks To Act On Lessons Learned

“A few years ago I would practise with some of these kids… I never really thought about actually playing against these guys but now that time is here,” Isner said. “I’ve played against Taylor Fritz. I’ve played Reilly before. I’ve played Frances before. I’m starting to play all these guys, and they’re all a handful as well. They’re all very talented.”

Seeing the older generation at the same tournament has been a change for the younger generation as well, said Fritz, who grew up watching the likes of Isner and Querrey on TV as a kid in California.

“I never thought I’d actually be playing them in tournaments. On any given week, you can get matched up in the draw against one of those people. I think it’s really cool,” Fritz said. “You don’t really like playing your friends but at a tournament like this there is a good chance to play other Americans.”

Fritz and the other three #NextGenATP Americans who played in Memphis all took different routes to the ATP World Tour than Isner, who played collegiate tennis for four years. But Isner said they all made the right choice by entering the pro ranks and skipping college.

“In my career, which is going on 10 years now, I’ve never seen a crop of players like this. So many guys who are doing well at 18, 19, 20,” Isner said. “They all seem to have a great head on their shoulders and got good teams on their side and great coaching. They have everything at their disposal to do fantastic things going forward, and I think all of them will.”