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U.S. OPEN

September 2, 2011

John Isner

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

J. ISNER/R. Ginepri
6-4, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk about the match.
JOHN ISNER: Yeah, you know, I knew it was gonna be tough, because, you know, Robby, he's been out for quite some time with various injuries and whatnot. You know, he had a little bit of confidence, you know, going his way because of his first round win, and I knew it was gonna be tough.
I knew going in I'd have to serve my best because he's such a good returner. That's what I did. When I had my chances I capitalized, so it was a very, very good match on my part, I thought. I was very pleased with how I played.

Q. You got the one break in the first set with some good defense and scrambling, and then the break in the second with a couple of good volleys. Those are elements of your game that you perhaps aren't quite as well-known for. Can you just talk about the work you've been putting in off the courts that really add to all the elements of the game?
JOHN ISNER: To be honest, it's not -- you know, I haven't really changed anything I've been doing on the court. It just comes with confidence. You know, 5-4, 30-40 in the first set he hit a big first serve to my backhand and I kind of reflexed it back pretty much on the line. Next thing you know I'm in the point and I forced an error.
That's the first set. Then the second set I had a breakpoint, 6 and I set it up with some good volleys. I mean, I'm very comfortable at the net, especially on the forehand side; my forehand volley is pretty good.
You know, I won that breakpoint off of a big forehand up the line that he couldn't handle.
So it's just, you know, I would like to say, you know, I've been doing something different on the practice court. I have been winning a lot of matches lately, and at those moments during the course of a match, that's when it shows.

Q. So how would you compare your confidence level at this moment with other times in your career?
JOHN ISNER: Yeah, it's as high as it's ever been.
You know, I don't like to think too much about it, but, you know, I have won seven matches in a row now, and earlier this summer I won, I think, eight or nine matches in a row: won Newport, made the finals of Atlanta.
I'm just winning it a lot of matches and I'm very, very confident and I feel good. I feel like I'm, you know, moving very well, you know, especially for myself. I'm getting to balls and able to get a lot more balls back in play because I'm very comfortable out there.

Q. You are a different player from Chile, the Davis Cup. I know that was on clay of courts, but that was really a down point.
JOHN ISNER: Yeah.

Q. So you've done something?
JOHN ISNER: Yeah, that was probably one of the biggest down points of my year so far, going down there and just not playing well and not really able to contribute to the team.
You know, I lost to a guy ranked pretty low in Davis Cup, and I just -- it all started once I got back to the States and started playing tournaments stateside. Very comfortable over here. It's just, you know, once I won a few matches in a row -- at Newport I started -- you know, I knew my game was going in the right direction, because the first five months of the year frankly it was a disappointment.

Q. This is the only Grand Slam to have a tiebreaker in the fifth set. You have had experience with, how it works in the other three slams obviously. Do you have a preference for which way you think a set should end and which way is more fair?
JOHN ISNER: No, every slam is different. To me, to be honest, I like the tiebreaker, because if it goes to a fifth set and it happens to go down to a tiebreaker I like my chances, especially with my serve. You know, I beat Andy a couple years ago in a fifth set tiebreaker. You know, I do like the system now.
But, you know, I don't think anything should change as far as the other tournaments go. It's just how the US Open does it.

Q. Is that kind of what makes it, I guess, stand out different in approach of a fifth set differently than if you were at Wimbledon?
JOHN ISNER: You know, you don't necessarily approach it differently. If you go to a fifth set here at the Open, ideally you don't want to win in a tiebreaker. In my case, if I ever get in a fifth set in this tournament or down the road in this tournament, you know, my goal is just to somehow get a break of serve so it doesn't have to go to a tiebreaker and try to ride it out with my serve.

Q. What are your thoughts about tonight's Roddick/Sock matchup, and how would you describe Jack?
JOHN ISNER: I haven't really thought too much about it, to be honest. I'm just thinking about the Georgia football game that's coming on tomorrow night. (Smiling).

Q. Who do they play?
JOHN ISNER: Boise State.

Q. Tough one.
JOHN ISNER: I'm just getting mentally prepared for that. I don't watch too much tennis. You know, Jack's up and coming. He's a good player. But, you know, I like Andy's chances there just, you know, strictly based on experience.

Q. What's your scouting report on that big Georgia/Boise State game that some observers say is going to be the game of the weekend?
JOHN ISNER: That and LSU/Oregon are the two big ones going on at the exact same time. I'm partial to Georgia. I think they're virtually playing -- you know, they're in their backyard playing in the Georgia Dome. They'll have the crowd support and it's gonna be -- it's a huge game to start the season, for sure.

Q. Where are you going to be watching it?
JOHN ISNER: I haven't decided it. I know there is a Georgia bar in the city, which is basically just all a bunch of Georgia graduates and Georgia people that go. I might just watch it in my motel room.

Q. Alex Bogomolov, who you probably will play in the next round, was talking yesterday about the challenger circuit and how he was essentially stuck there for several years. That's a level that you escaped past pretty quickly. Can you just talk about your time playing at that level and how difficult it is to make that transition from the challengers to the ATP Tour?
JOHN ISNER: Yes, that's very, very, very difficult. Fortunately for me I was able to -- when I first started my ranking shot up really high because of the D.C. tournament. You know, after six months of play, I was top 100 in the world.
But, you know, at the beginning of 2008 I sort of regressed a little and I had to go back down to the challengers, because I ended 2008 ranked 140-something, thereabouts. I was a challenger-level player.
You know, I knew I had to kinda go back to the drawing board, and I did. I took my lumps in 2008 and I played some challengers, end of 2008 and beginning of 2009 and whatnot, and started winning a lot of matches.
It's a very, very tough level to get out of. You see guys all the time just essentially stuck there, and that's where they are, ranked 180 to 280 in the world or something. It's not glamorous.
Fortunately for me, I'm glad I'm out of that stage. I hope to never, you know, get back down there.

Q. You said you like the tiebreak but you want the others to stay the way they are. Why is that?
JOHN ISNER: Just how they do it. I don't think anything should change. You know, in my opinion I think Wimbledon is the one tournament that it can go on for a long time, obviously. (Laughter.)
But in Australia, it's pretty hot down there, so you don't see five-set matches last too long, nothing into the 20s or anything like that.
French Open is a different surface. No, I just think it shouldn't change.

Q. I know you said you don't watch a lot of tennis, but you've probably seen a lot of Americans on the schedule today, and the young ones, you know, even veterans, just getting through the first few rounds. Do you think we're seeing a revival in American tennis?
JOHN ISNER: Um, yeah, you know. I think Donald is in a fifth set right now. Jack Sock is one to look at for sure. Ryan Harrison, as well. I mean, he just ran into a tough draw against Cilic who is playing extremely well.
There is a good chance to have, you know, five or six guys in the round of 32 after today. So that's, you can put that up there against any other country.
It's just, you know, I wouldn't really call it a revival, but I would call it really, really solid.

Q. That doesn't look like a new cap. Is there a story behind that?
JOHN ISNER: Yeah, this thing is about eight years old. I bought it at the bookstore my freshman year.

Q. Is that what brought good luck to the Bulldogs since you've worn it?
JOHN ISNER: No, no, they've been struggling past couple years and I've been wearing it, but it's one hat I don't ever want to lose.

Q. What about with Robby? Were you surprised how well you saw him play today, and do you see him continuing to go climb back up?
JOHN ISNER: I certainly hope so. I do think he played well. You know, he just ran into myself. I was just serving out of my mind. I was serving well, and like I said, I was just really, really pleased with how I played.
I don't think it was anything he did wrong, but he's certainly on the way back up, and that's for sure. If he can just sustain that level, he'll be back in the mix in no time. It's good to see it.
You know, I didn't want to play him in the second round. I knew one of us was gonna go home. I would have liked his chances against a lot of players today.
Like I said, I just played very well.

Q. Coming back from injury is something that you've had experience with when you had mono a few years ago. For the club tennis player being one or two months away from tournaments, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but can you just talk about how much that would impact somebody at the pro level, just even being away for a month or two months and getting your feet back into it?
JOHN ISNER: Oh, yeah, it's so tough. You know, especially when you're injured you're essentially dormant, and that was my case when I had mono. You're not allowed to do anything. You can't lift a weight, can't jog, can't do anything. You lose your fitness, you lose your form, and it certainly takes a long time to get back.
When I did get cleared to, you know, start to practice and work out again, it was a slow process. I had to take it sort of slow, you know. But eventually, with time and matches, you do get your feet back under you.
I think that's what Robby is experiencing now. You know, with that elbow injury he had, that mountain bike accident of his was just awful. So that was a long, long process for him.
So, you know, like I said before, he's on the way back up. Just, you know, I hope he stays healthy.

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