No. 9 John Isner, +8 The American has returned to a career-high No. 9 in the ATP Rankings, almost six years since he first attained the position (16 April 2012). The 32-year-old captured the biggest title of his career at the Miami Open presented by Itau by beating then No. 5-ranked Alexander Zverev 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 in the final for his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown (now 13-12 in finals). Isner also knocked out No. 3 Marin Cilic in the third round and No. 6-ranked Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-finals. Read & Watch Final Highlights View Latest ATP Rankings No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta, +7 The Spaniard jumped seven places to No. 12, two spots off...
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....
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...
Rarely does the 6’6” Alexander Zverev find himself overmatched in height, but that’s exactly what John Isner did in the final of the Miami Open presented by Itau. At a whopping 6’10”, the American struck 18 aces and was unbroken throughout the match, finally earning victory in a tightly contested 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 decision over Zverev. The win was his first over the German in four tries – although the two go back even farther than their ATP World Tour meetings. The two have been frequent practice partners at Saddlebrook Resort for years and have shared a friendship for years. “The first practice that we ever played I think I was 15, and it was the last day of the...