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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPENAugust 13, 2013John IsnerCINCINNATI, OHIO J. ISNER/F. Mayer THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. John, it's a pretty solid win. Seems like you've been not needing tiebreaks much the last few weeks. How are you feeling on your return and just playing overall? JOHN ISNER: I played well out there today. Not so much the no tiebreakers, but it was just a pretty straightforward match and something that, even though I've been winning a lot of matches this summer, a lot of them haven't been like that. So it's actually very nice to come by, and it takes a lot of stress off me. Sometimes these matches just‑‑ it's not so much just because they're really super physical, but they're sort of a lot of tense pressure moments that actually sort of can wear on you over time. Today really wasn't the case, and I thought I played well. Q. How do you feel just overall about your level this summer? JOHN ISNER: It's been good. Nothing to complain about. Even up in Montreal last week, after playing 9 matches in 11 days, that was my 10th match in 13 days. I physically felt great. The match I lost up there, I let slip away. I was up 4‑1 in the third set. A lot of times, as you guys know, one break for me is sometimes all it takes. That was the case out there today. So I had a chance to win my match up there; didn't happen. Who knows? It could have been a blessing in disguise. I was able to get back home and rest up, and I actually feel rejuvenated even though this is my fourth consecutive tournament. I played on Tuesday last week, so it's been a week since I played. I feel fresh and eager and ready to go. I think I showed that today. Q. Are you playing next week? JOHN ISNER: As of right now I am. Q. And the knee thing that happened at Wimbledon, no recurrence of that? Just a freak incident? JOHN ISNER: Yeah, well, there's still some things I can't do, like in the gym, that I would like to do. It's my quad, so it's not my knee, which is good. So it's just a muscular thing with my quad. Ever since it happened and with all the practices I've had, with all the matches I've had, myself and my physio, we've really figured out the best way to go about it prematch. We feel like we have a good routine down with it. It's all about really having everything activated in my body to take pressure off of that area. It's not bothering me. Q. What are you doing differently? JOHN ISNER: Well, I'm just getting it very loose with some massage before the match, just on that quad and stuff where‑‑ you know, it's kind of lame to talk about, but like having my‑‑ getting my glutes firing well. If you do that, it's taking the pressure off everything else. As athletes, that's what you want to do regardless whenever you go out there and play. But really, really focusing on that, and it's taking pressure off that area that bothered me at Wimbledon. Q. As a guy with one of the bigger serves in the game, I'm wondering what you think about the essential disappearance of the classic serve and volleyer at the top of the game. I'm curious if coaches along the way have tried to convince you into doing more of it or that's just not reasonable anymore? JOHN ISNER: There are a few guys that still serve and volley. Stepanek comes to mind, Llodra. There's probably some guys that serve and volley that I'm missing. The guy that beat Roger at Wimbledon, he serves and volleys. But, yeah, you don't see it that much anymore. I think it's actually tough to serve and volley. I don't consider myself a natural serve and volleyer. I do it sometimes; I did it out there today. My serve I feel like is big enough that I feel comfortable hitting a first ball forehand, and I think I'm effective doing that as well. So for me, no one's ever really tried to make me a serve and volleyer. I don't feel like I'm that type of player. I'm really super big and it's actually kind of tough to do. You've got to react quickly. I sort of like hitting the groundstroke after the serve. Q. Why do you think it's pretty much disappeared or disappearing? JOHN ISNER: I think guys return so well nowadays, maybe with the technology and whatnot. These guys are just getting their racquets on a lot of balls, and it makes it tough. Unless the volley is high above the net, if you're having to dig up a low volley, you're in a really tough position with how everyone can pass you and whatnot. So I think it has to do with that mainly. Q. What sort of sports options beyond tennis did you have growing up? Why did you stay with tennis? And if you would, in your opinion, why do you think more big, athletic American guys are not taking the route that you've taken? JOHN ISNER: Well, my options were tennis and basketball. That's pretty obvious. I've said this a lot. I had to choose one sport or the other, and it wasn't a no‑brainer that I was going with tennis at all. I actually was very close to sticking with basketball. That's how much I played it. I played it just as much as I was playing tennis up until I was 15 years old. So for me, I stuck with tennis, and then I just kept on growing. I didn't know I was going to be this tall. What was the second part of your question? Q. Why do you think that more guys have not taken your route? Why have more guys, in essence, played basketball or football or what have you instead of tennis? JOHN ISNER: I don't know. Tennis, as far as in the States, as far as popularity goes, it's fifth, sixth, as far as the major sports, basketball, football, even hockey, baseball, golf, NASCAR even. It's just not as big in the States as it is in Europe and South America and whatnot. So I think maybe that has a lot to do with it. Q. Had you grown earlier, spurted earlier, might your decision have been different? JOHN ISNER: Yeah. Or if a doctor or someonewhen I was 14 could have told me I'd have been this tall, I probably can assure you I would have stuck with basketball. Q. John, obviously, it's been a pretty good month for you playing, but this being the first week of no Americans in the top 20, I was wondering if you think that sort of milestone means anything? JOHN ISNER: It doesn't mean anything to me. I could care less about it actually. I didn't even know I was going to play professional tennis until I was in college. I haven't really put too much pressure on me to be like the savior of American tennis and whatnot. I'm just trying to handle my business and play tennis for as long as I can. I'm having fun doing it. So I don't really think about it. Q. That said, would you have ever thought that the top‑ranked American man in the world would be 22nd? JOHN ISNER: I don't know. Q. You don't know? JOHN ISNER: I don't think about tennis when I'm not playing it or practicing at all. I'm going to go back and watch preseason football is what I do. So I don't really care. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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