Tennis - ATP World Tour – Tagged "Masters 1000" – Page 51

Apr 02, 2018

Relive The Miami Open Presented By Itau Final

Apr 02, 2018

The Five Keys To Isner's Miami Victory

Our understanding of forehands and backhands has just added another layer - ironically from one of the greatest servers our sport has ever seen. John Isner defeated Alexander Zverev 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 to win the Miami Open presented by Itau on Sunday, with an analysis of his forehands and backhands shedding new light on what other factors heavily contribute to their overall performance. The following five areas break down Isner’s forehand and backhand proficiency with a new lens. The analysis does not include returns, volleys or overheads, but does include baseline groundstrokes and approaching the net. 1. The Serve Protects The Backhand On the surface, there is nothing special about uncovering that Isner hit 24 backhands in the opening set....

Apr 02, 2018

Isner: 'This Is Crazy'

John Isner has had an adventurous couple of weeks to say the least. Arriving at Crandon Park, the 32-year-old American had won two tour-level matches all year (2-6). And in his opener at the Miami Open presented by Itau against Jiri Vesely, he lost the second set and appeared he could possibly suffer another early exit. Yet, after his second win against a Top 5 opponent in this tournament alone (now 10 in his career) on Sunday, Isner leaves Key Biscayne as the oldest first-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 champion in history. “I never thought I would be in this moment considering how I was playing coming into this event,” Isner said. In fact, at two of his previous...

Apr 01, 2018

5 Things We Learned In Miami

(1) Confidence is key (especially for Isner) It's safe to say that John Isner was not a favourite to win the Miami Open presented by Itau. The American arrived at Crandon Park having won two tour-level matches all season (2-6) with neither of those victories coming against opponents inside the Top 80 of the ATP Rankings. But after losing the second set in his opening-round match against Jiri Vesely 1-6, the American won 11 consecutive sets to capture the biggest title of his career. Isner had won 12 previous tour-level trophies, but none of them came outside of the ATP World Tour 250-level. "I knew the only way I was going to be able to win this [Vesely] match is...

Apr 01, 2018

John's Maiden Masters Moment: Isner Surges To Historic Title

It was a fitting sendoff for Crandon Park, as the Miami Open presented by Itau bade farewell to its longtime home on Sunday with a thrilling finale. A captivating championship saw John Isner rally past Alexander Zverev 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 for the title, adding a historic first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown to his trophy case. The American and the German wrote one last chapter in Key Biscayne, battling for two and a half hours in humid conditions. At 32 years, 11 months, Isner is the oldest first-time winner at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level. In fact, only two other players (Agassi, Federer) older than Isner have won a Masters 1000 title. The big-hitting American overturned an...