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ROLEX PARIS MASTERS

October 28, 2018

John Isner

Paris, France

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Welcome to Paris. How is it going with an infant and, you know, learning how to juggle the tour and the new daughter?
JOHN ISNER: Yeah, it's going well, I think. I don't have that much experience with it right now as she's still pretty young.

But no, it's been great to spend time at home. I didn't go to Asia because I wanted to be at home. Wasn't for any other reason other than that.

So look, it's been great. The adjustment, I actually don't think it's been that crazy for me. My wife does a lot of the work and allows me to take care of what I need to take care of.

And apart from that, she sleeps pretty well, also. So far. And no, it's been great. It's been everything I could have imagined.

Q. I just asked Rafa this and he told me to ask anyone but him. So playing in the generation of Rafa, Novak, and Roger where they're always winning, do you think players like yourself and other players are unlucky to be in this generation?
JOHN ISNER: I think it's both. It's lucky in the sense that players like myself have been able to compete against guys like Rafa and everyone else you mentioned. Because when you do get to play those players, it's such a big moment, a big occasion on the big court and it's a lot of fun in that regard.

But you could also argue that it's unlucky because those guys are pretty selfish and they take all the titles away from a lot of us.

But, no, for me personally, I think it's been a great pleasure to be, look for me, 11 years now, and those guys have been at the very top of the game ever since I entered the tour as well. So I think it's been a very fortunate thing for me.

Q. On that subject, what's it been like having them around? Do you feel it's pushed you to change bits of your game, to look at things which they do which is so successful?
JOHN ISNER: Yeah, I don't -- maybe not necessarily change things in my game, but I think it's pushed, for me personally, and I'm sure I can speak for other players as well, pushed us to keep working harder and to keep that fire within just to, you know, do everything we can to keep us in tiptop shape just so we can get the opportunity to compete in the same tournaments as them and hopefully get to play those guys.

So it's a big motivating factor especially for me. I think a guy like Roger, because he's 36 or 37, and, you know, I'm 33. So seeing someone like him do the great things that he's doing at his age is very encouraging for me. So that helps push me along.

Q. And he's got four children as well.
JOHN ISNER: Yeah.

Q. So something to aim for.
JOHN ISNER: He did it in two bouts, which is maybe more impressive than anything he has ever accomplished on the court. So I'm definitely a few behind. Look, God willing, we would love to have more than one kid. For right now, we'll take it one at the time.

Q. So you had the opportunity to play in Chicago at Laver Cup. I'm curious from that experience maybe things you learned about yourself or the other guys on your team that you didn't know before that event.
JOHN ISNER: No, it's fun to play, always fun to play in a team event. So as far as everyone on our team, I knew very well. Maybe I guess Diego I didn't know quite as well but I knew he was going to be a lot of fun to be around, and sure enough he was. But everyone else on the team, I've always got along with really well and we had a lot of fun.

Q. Since you mentioned your age and Roger's age right now, when you started playing tennis obviously tennis players retire a little bit earlier than they do now.
JOHN ISNER: Yeah.

Q. Did you expect to be playing at this level right now at 33 playing for to be in the Masters?
JOHN ISNER: No, I did not. Not even -- could never have imagined this at 33. I mean, look, when I left college, was I just thought I could play tennis to delay getting a regular job and go there and try to make ends meet. But it's been a very different experience for me fortunately.

I've personally surprised myself along the way and, you know, here at 33 I've had the best year of my career. But now, you know, from where I'm sitting right now, it actually does sort of make sense because experience helps. And you gain a lot of knowledge as you, you know, go through all the years on tour, and that's what I've gained. I've gotten to know my body even better than I ever have.

So I know how hard to push my body, when to back off. And just having that being in tune with myself has helped me so much.

And so I'm in a pretty good spot at 33. I feel like I'm in pretty good shape and as long as I continue the same regimen that I'm used to, hopefully I can still play for many more years.

Q. You mentioned playing in college. Most sports have a hierarchy where a trainer tells a player what to do whereas in tennis it seems like you're left to your own devices.
JOHN ISNER: Yeah.

Q. Your team or people that you hire.
JOHN ISNER: Yeah.

Q. I'm curious like what is the difficult aspect of that and how you have handled it over the years?
JOHN ISNER: It's very, very different, as you said. And, you know, I think tennis and probably golf is one of the few sports where the talent is hiring the team, the coach, the trainer. Whereas in team sports, the people in the front office are doing that. And everything is done for the players. So it's a very different dynamic on the tour, as you mentioned, because we're the ones that are making the decisions for ourselves.

So it can be a very tricky situation for sure, but ultimately I think it's one that's very good because, you know, as players we generally know what's best for ourself. So hopefully I answered that question. Was there another part to it?

Q. Do you feel like an employer or both?
JOHN ISNER: In a sense, but it's weird. I am a player but I need to listen very much to my employees because they know what's best for me. That's why they're on my team.

And so yeah, in a sense, but I try to be a good employer I guess. Yeah.

Q. You definitely must have heard about the new ruling for Wimbledon.
JOHN ISNER: Yeah.

Q. I apologize in advance if you've already commented on it.
JOHN ISNER: Yeah.

Q. Any thought about it? It was what you expected? You like it? Would you have preferred it differently?
JOHN ISNER: No, actually, when I was asked, you know, I think even right after the match I lost at Wimbledon, I think I was asked what -- I've always said 12-All and so that's what they did. It's not that they just took my opinion and ran with it, but I thought that was a sensible compromise, the way to keep the tie-breaker in play but also you play a full extra set. So I thought that was a good middle ground. And apparently they thought that as well.

Q. How do you feel about the rule now? You feel proud that you're keeping your record for good or relieved that you're not going to play another one?
JOHN ISNER: I'm not proud of that, but I was pretty certain that that record was going to stand forever no matter what, whether they implemented this rule or not.

But in a sense if I get out there and I'm playing another big server and it gets to 12-All in the fifth, I will be happy. Hopefully that's not the case, but with my track record it very well could be.

Q. So going back to being an employer, how important have two people been to you, Justin as well as, not as an employer, but Andy Roddick as a peer?
JOHN ISNER: Yeah, well, Justin's been very instrumental especially the last few years in my career. I think it was a good time for us to start working together. Right about when I turned 30 I was looking for some help, some new ideas and he was someone was definitely really sort of an out-of-the-box addition. And we talked about, we always got along and I never thought I would ever work with him in a coach-player capacity, but Justin has been very good in that regard for me personally and he really does -- the most important thing is he really does believe in me and really does care about me. So I think that's the most important thing.

And as for Andy, I mean, when I first came on tour he was the No. 1 American for so many years. Someone that I aspired to be like and wanted to try to beat as many times as I possibly could. I was able to do that a few times I think.

He did such an incredible job of being the top-ranked American for so long. Very underrated in my opinion, because he went up against Roger so many times. Andy's career was absolutely incredible. And he's also a good friend and someone that I speak to periodically as well about tennis and a lot of stuff not about tennis; fantasy baseball, whatever it is. So we get along very well.

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