John Isner uses Atlanta to tune up for tennis’ hard-court season the way politicians use primaries to work on their zingers: Nothing is held back, and often he’s often successful.
The former Georgia standout will begin the summer’s hard-court season with a second-round hometown-themed match against Kennesaw’s Robby Ginepri on Thursday at the BB&T Atlanta Open, where Isner is the defending champ.
“This tournament is hugely critical for me to set up the rest of my summer,” said Isner, ranked No. 12 by the ATP Tour. “I’m looking to do the same thing this year.”
Since 2010, when the Atlanta tournament returned, Isner is 12-3 in Atlanta, with three trips to the finals. The only time he didn’t advance to the championship match came in 2012, when he lost in the semifinals to eventual champ Andy Roddick. Isner’s title came against Kevin Anderson, who is seeded second at the Atlanta Open this year.
That he won was a bit of surprise because he didn’t start well. He was pushed in his first match to three sets by wild-card qualifier Christian Harrison and had to go to tiebreakers in both sets of a win over James Blake in the next match.
Isner again needed three sets to eliminate Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinals before winning tiebreakers in all three sets of the championship match.
“The more you win, the more confident you get,” Isner said. “I was able to win some close matches and reached a point where I was playing well.”
It seems as if that has been true for Isner for the rest of the summer hard-court season, where his overpowering serve hits the deck and zooms past opponents — or bounces over them because of the angle of delivery after he unwinds his 6-foot-10 frame.
After Atlanta through the U.S. Open, Isner has racked up an amazing 38-13 record with two titles on the summer hard-court circuit in North America.
Isner said Atlanta, full of Bulldogs fans who come to support him, is one of the reasons for his summer lovin’.
“I feel very much at home here,” Isner said. “I have great support. I’m lucky to have a tournament like this year, with fans on my side. Huge reason why I’ve done well here.”
Those fans may also be why his previous two summer hard-court wins since 2010 came at Winston-Salem in 2011 and ’12, which is near his hometown of Greensboro. He also made it to the finals in Cincinnati and Washington last year.
Now, he needs that kind of support and success in New York when the U.S. Open begins in late August. He hasn’t advanced past the quarterfinals, and three times was knocked out in the round of 32, since 2010. It’s the one tournament during the summer hard-court season in which he hasn’t advanced to at least the semifinals.
Isner said he feels no pressure to do well at the U.S. Open, enforcing that statement by noting that he doesn’t set personal goals.
“I have the belief, no matter who I am playing, that I know I can win,” he said.
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