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WIMBLEDONJune 26, 2014John IsnerLONDON, ENGLAND J. ISNER/J. Nieminen THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You've played a lot of tiebreaks. Do you get excited when the numbers get big, that you might be near a record? JOHN ISNER: Yeah, absolutely. But I wasn't that excited when I was down set point however many times I was. Excited when I won that set. Yeah, that tiebreaker was something else. Fortunately I won. Q. Straight sets again. JOHN ISNER: Uh‑huh, yeah. Q. Is that a new feeling? JOHN ISNER: Yeah, feels good. That's what you want to do in a tournament like this. You know, I mean, I haven't played too much. Feeling very good. Feeling very healthy. Ready to go. Looks like my opponents aren't even going to play today, so I'm in a good spot. Q. You're also the last American in singles. JOHN ISNER: Yeah. I mean, I knew there was a possibility that I could take the court and be the last American, you know, as soon as I took the court because I was playing later than everyone else. You know, I guess it's better than last year. We didn't have anybody past the second round. At least there's one guy past the second round. Q. You spoke a moment ago about tiebreakers. How would you describe the evolution of your approach to tiebreakers and what does the experience do for you when you face such a situation now? JOHN ISNER: Yeah, I mean, for whatever reason when I'm in that situation, I always have a lot of adrenaline and I'm always serving my best, better than what I was getting to that tiebreaker. That was the case today in the first and second set. Only lost one point on my serve. Played a lot of points, especially in that first one. The name of the game for me is just taking care of the two points on my serve, put the pressure back on my opponent. That's what I did. Q. You said 'for some reason.' Do you have any ideas as to why that is? JOHN ISNER: I have more adrenaline running through me. I usually hit my hardest serves at that time. I'm going up, going after the ball, keeping everything the same, but just have a little bit more adrenaline. Q. In a match like today where your service games are going smoothly for you, how does that affect your play, your mindset? Does it free you up a little on the return side? JOHN ISNER: Yeah. I mean, sometimes it does. But I get in a lot of matches where it just because a hold‑fest, which is fine, but it's not ideal. It should free me up more than sometimes it does out there. But I think especially in that third set I started making my way into those return games and eventually it paid off. I was just taking care of my serve as best as I could and I did it extremely well today. I don't think I faced a breakpoint. The pressure I feel like was constantly on him. Eventually I was able to break through. Only just needed one break in this match, and I won in straight sets. Q. Can you tell me about the weird knee stuff you have on. JOHN ISNER: Oh, yeah. Honestly it's probably more of a mental thing for me. I hurt my knee here last year. Ever since then, it bothers me a bit. It gets a little stiff. In a match, I like to tape it. I don't tape it in practice. I just tape it up in a match. Kind of puts me at ease when I take the court. I could take it off five games into the match and be fine. It's more of a mental thing than anything. Q. You mentioned this year has been a lot more routine as far as the major names getting through. Was it the Wednesday that you also went out? JOHN ISNER: Yeah, I was part of that. Q. It's been a reversal here. JOHN ISNER: Yeah, it seems that way. I guess a few seeds have fallen. For the most part, you know, the locker room I'm in, it still seems pretty full where all the seeded players are. Yeah, it's good to see. It's good for the tournament to have all the big names, especially the top four, still alive. Q. Do you think the grass is any better or different? JOHN ISNER: Honestly you just chalk that up to last year, it was freakish everyone going down with some sort of injury. We had just one retirement in the first round this year. I don't think they've changed the grass or anything. That was just sort of fluke‑ish last year. Q. Since we don't know who your opponent is, if you play López, describe the keys to that matchup. JOHN ISNER: He holds his serve extremely well also, no matter who he's playing, especially on this surface. That would be a match that it could certainly come down to a few points here or there. If I do play him, I'm going to have to do what I did today, and that's take care of my serve, see what I can do on his serve. If I can't break through, maybe take it in a tiebreaker. He plays very well on grass. He's lefty. I think that helps. He's got a lot of pop on his serve. He volleys extremely well. You have seen, he made the finals of Queen's and he won Eastbourne. He's playing well on grass. He's got to be a little bit tired, but more so than that he's extremely confident. Q. Would you consider or could you see yourself having a female coach? JOHN ISNER: No, probably not. I mean, nothing against a female coach. I mean, I haven't had too many coaches in my career. I have always had male coaches growing up. Q. So why not? JOHN ISNER: I don't know. Maybe for me it would be kind of a little weird. They can certainly coach just as well as anyone. But the relationship side of it, you know, being at Wimbledon, staying in the same house together, just maybe kind of weird, I guess. I don't know. Q. I think the best you ever played here was at the Olympics. JOHN ISNER: Yeah. Q. Grass got worn out more quickly that year. What was it about those conditions that worked that you haven't had at this main event? JOHN ISNER: I don't know if it was the conditions. I mean, I played very well at the Olympics in 2012. I remember leaving the Olympics saying, That's the best I ever felt over here. Then I came back here last year, felt very good, played well my first round, then I got hurt. I feel like things are starting to come together for me on this grass here. It's taken a long time. So it's very encouraging. Even though I haven't had great results here, I've always left this tournament holding my head up high knowing I'm going to have plenty more chances to do well here. Q. Do you think something clicked during the Olympics at all? JOHN ISNER: Something did. I don't know exactly what. Something has clicked a little bit for me playing on the grass here. Q. When you're here, do you check out your plaque? JOHN ISNER: Yeah. I walk by it quite a bit, especially the days leading up to the tournament when there's no one here. Q. Do you stop and give it a little rub? JOHN ISNER: No. I just walk right past it. A lot of people, Look, there it is. I just walk right past it. Q. This is as far as you've got. Do you like Wimbledon? JOHN ISNER: Yeah, absolutely. Q. What is the feeling? You said something about the feeling at the Olympics was a bit different. JOHN ISNER: The Olympics was weird playing here, wearing for me red, white and blue, the pink backdrop. That was extremely weird. We stayed close to here. I really didn't get the whole Olympic feel staying over here. All the other events were so far away. But this tournament, it's so special. It's the most prestigious tournament we have arguably. Everything is so cool about this place: the town that it's in, the all white, the people that work, the little outfits that they wear. It's all pretty cool. You know, this is one tournament I've always said I know I can do well at, knew I could do well at, so far I'm off to a good start. Q. Wimbledon is thinking of giving Yaroslava Shvedova an honorary plaque. Would you support a plaque for her for her golden set? JOHN ISNER: Yeah, it would be pretty cool. I know I probably won't be threatening her spot on that plaque, winning a golden set. If they decide to do that, why not? Q. Did you watch the soccer? JOHN ISNER: No, I didn't see it. A second of it. Q. Do you want to know? JOHN ISNER: I know the result. Just as long as you're moving on. Play Belgium or something. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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