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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 25, 2016

John Isner

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

D. FERRER/J. Isner

6-4, 6-4, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A frustrating one for you, I would assume.
JOHN ISNER: Yeah, it was very frustrating. I thought he played well. I mean, I expected him to play well, so...

A guy like that is not going to play a poor match in the Round of 16 of a slam. I just needed to, you know, play better than I did. I'm never going to beat him if I don't play very well. It's as simple as that.

So credit to him.

Q. You got broken a few times. He's a great returner. Were you more upset about getting broken three times or not being able to get any breaks?
JOHN ISNER: Probably the latter. I mean, I had a few chances. I just didn't put enough pressure on him. It cost me dearly.

It's a bit disappointing.

Q. Was there a point today where you felt like your A game wasn't there? You needed to switch things up?
JOHN ISNER: Yeah, a little bit. Obviously tactically I probably needed to get to the net more, even if it wasn't on some great shots. You know, I just tried to keep my nose in front in that third set. I cracked a little bit at the end.

I mean, he was too good really. I mean, he played well, so...

Q. How happy are you with just getting to the fourth round and putting yourself in that position?
JOHN ISNER: No, I mean, yeah, it's definitely not a bad tournament. I would have liked to have gone further. Unfortunately it's where I've sort of, you know, been. I've proven I can be 10 to 15 in the world.

Haven't quite proven I can go further than that, to be dead honest with you. That's what's disappointing.

Q. With your schedule, do you go right on to clay now?
JOHN ISNER: Yeah. I mean, obviously I'll take a few days off, which is fine by me. Go back to Florida, get to train in my neighborhood, relax. It's fine, yeah. I mean, my next hard court event is Indian Wells, so...

Q. Looking forward to Davis Cup, could you give us some thoughts about possible matchups against Kyrgios or Tomic on grass?
JOHN ISNER: Yeah, I mean, look, our team, their team. If all goes to plan, I mean, I would imagine I would play Kyrgios in the first match if we both play singles. But you never know.

It's definitely only the horizon. Kind of crazy to think I'll be back in Melbourne in less than a month, about a month or so. I mean, it's neat at the same time. But it's what makes tennis a little bit tough sometimes, as well.

But it's all good.

Q. Azarenka was saying it was really nerve-wracking watching the football today; she was out of control. It was much more easy to play a match. Talk about the difference between watching a team you really like as opposed to being the athlete in control of yourself.
JOHN ISNER: I didn't know there was a team that she really roots for.

No, I mean, it's probably more nerve-wracking watching. I've played a lot of tennis matches before. You know, you have no control over that, of course. This certainly stings a lot more because it's essentially in my hands if I do the right things.

I'm in control of what I do on the court, so it stings when I lose.

Q. A lot of surface changes this year: hard, clay, grass, hard, clay, grass, hard. How do you prepare for that physically?
JOHN ISNER: Well, I mean, clay is easier on my body than anything. I guess grass, as well. I mean, I guess it's hard court, even though I really like playing on hard court, match after match, practice after practice, that can kind of take its toll, I guess.

If I look at it, assuming I get out tomorrow, which is Tuesday I'll land in the States; I'll be home on Tuesday. I have a lot of time to rest and recover.

I take care of myself. If something's hurting, I'll pull back. But I feel all right. It's all good. I think there's time in between tournaments. I guess after Davis Cup, you know, I'm seeded at Indian Wells, so I have extra time there.

I guess that's the advantage of being ranked pretty high. You get some breaks as far as getting a bye or whatnot.

Q. When you get your serve broken, do you feel like your best chance to break back is the game right after?
JOHN ISNER: No, not necessarily. Honestly, I feel like I play better if I'm up instead of not up. I didn't really feel like I served that poorly tonight either. He was definitely the best returner I've faced so far in this tournament, without a doubt.

He was sharp; played well. I can't give him enough credit. He's a damn good player. He made it tough for me out there, for sure.

Q. Do you feel like some of those passing shots he came up with deterred you from really attacking the net?
JOHN ISNER: It wasn't so much that. When he gets in control of the point, he's so good just getting on top of the baseline. A lot of times you can't come in on anything.

Yeah, I mean, I knew I was going to get passed. I don't think it was that that really, you know, kept me from coming in.

Q. Has Justin spoken with you since the match? Can you share a little bit?
JOHN ISNER: A little bit, yeah. Obviously tactically he didn't really talk about that too much. Certainly there's some things I could have done better. Maybe it's incumbent on me to look back at a match like that, actually watch it, and see where it all went wrong.

If I want to get better, you know, I got to see why I got my ass kicked tonight up close and watch it. I'll keep working.

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