If they were an NBA team, such as the Memphis Grizzlies, they'd probably slow the game down, taking their time on every possession and making sure they fed the ball to the big men in the middle of the lane. But 6'11” Ivo Karlovic, 6'11” Reilly Opelka and 6'10” John Isner are ATP World Tour players, so they try to play fast, blasting serves that skid off the court and leave fans wondering how they strike so many aces. The power and athleticism of the tallest players on the ATP World Tour have been on showcase all week long at the Memphis Open, which is played on the indoor courts at The Racquet Club of Memphis. With the aforementioned tall...
Former finalist John Isner had to dig deep to overcome #NextGenATP player Yoshihito Nishioka to get his Memphis Open campaign off to a winning start on Wednesday. The second-seeded American ground out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against the 21-year-old lefty to land a quarter-final match against his countryman Donald Young. “So tough, I knew it would be,” Isner said. “Getting a bye is a bit of a double-edged sword – you’re playing someone who’s already played a match, feeling confident. “Whereas myself, I didn’t quite have that coming into this match. The main thing is I held my composure pretty good and got an early break in the second and was able to ride that out. The third set...
During a meeting between the two masters of their sports, Vince Carter waited until the end to share his words of advice with Ivo Karlovic on Wednesday evening. Carter, who at 40 is the oldest player in the NBA, met Karlovic before the New Orleans Pelicans took on the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum. The two professional athletes exchanged pleasantries and traded equipment on the court: Carter gave Karlovic a pair of autographed shoes, size 16.5; Karlovic gave Carter an autographed Head Radical racquet. Carter was excited by the new stick. He told Karlovic that his tennis-playing daughter will love it. Then Carter delivered the two words of wisdom that Karlovic has surely heard by now: “Stay young,” Carter...
Darian King thought he should pay more respect to “The King” while visiting Graceland on Wednesday. The 24 year old, who has made Barbados tennis history at the Memphis Open, was visiting Elvis Presley's former residence and was asked how much he knew about the musical legend. “Growing up and hearing about Elvis, sorry Mr. Presley, because obviously I can't address him like that, he's a big deal,” King said. “He's down in the books as a great one. I'm really happy to actually be here, around his surroundings, around his homeland.” King toured Presley's south Memphis estate, checking out the green carpet on the ceiling in the jungle room, where Presley recorded “Moody Blue”. He walked through “Lisa Marie”,...
If you think of stretches of John Isner's career as a title tour around the U.S., the American has claimed nearly every crown in the country. He's won the Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston once. The former Georgia Bulldog has claimed the BB&T Atlanta Open three times. Isner has also won two titles on the grass at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport. The 6'10” right-hander, who's from North Carolina, has captured his home-state tournament, the Winston-Salem Open, twice. But, although Isner has taken eight ATP World Tour titles in the U.S., his trophy case is still missing title hardware from the Memphis Open. This week, Isner will try to change that...
