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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 2, 2018

John Isner

Wimbledon, London, England

J. ISNER/Y. Maden

6-2, 7-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How happy are you with your performance today?
JOHN ISNER: I'm pretty happy. I think possibly it could have been more straightforward. But all in all, I mean, I was off the court in three sets, and, you know, I hadn't played a match on grass coming into this tournament. I didn't play a warmup event. I decided to stay home and rest and rebuild and just work on my body and my game a little bit.

Even though I have been hitting the ball well in practice and doing all the right things, that doesn't always translate to the match court. So I knew today was going to be tough. The conditions were tough, as well.

Happy to get through.

Q. How does playing on grass affect your serve and your confidence in it?
JOHN ISNER: It helps my serve a lot. But again, I like my serve in any conditions. Play in mud, I like my serve (smiling).

So grass court definitely gives it a little bit extra boost. It skids through. My big serves in essence feel even bigger when I make it, and it's shooting through the court.

Grass has always been a good servers' surface, and it's always been one for me.

Q. You're coming into your tenth Wimbledon. Haven't had the best of times here. You also won your first Masters in Miami previously. How much does that memory stay with you and does it give you an extra belief you can turn things around here and make a deep run?
JOHN ISNER: Yeah, it hasn't happened for me at Wimbledon, for sure. As you said, this is my tenth attempt here and I have never made it to the second week. I did one time, but it was still the third round so it doesn't quite count even though I was playing on Monday.

But as I said, it just hasn't happened. One of those things. I have had a lot of chances. I have lost close matches. But once you get into, you know, the third, fourth round of this event it becomes very difficult. And I'm not even there right now. I'm certainly taking it one match at a time.

I do believe that at 33 I'm playing my best tennis. I think Miami was indicative of that. So as long as I'm feeling healthy and strong and eager to get out there, you know, I think I can do well here. If it doesn't happen this year I'll come back next year and try again.

Q. The big guys are doing really well these days; you, Anderson, all of those guys. Why do you think that's happening right now and do you think that the future is kind of yours?
JOHN ISNER: I don't know if the future is that way. I think a lot can be said for how we conduct ourselves. I'm talking about how professional we are. I know Kevin does everything he can to maximize his game. I feel like I do the same, as well. Sam Querrey is another guy.

I think it's just the culmination of a lot of hard work for the big guys that you mentioned.

Q. When we speak to smaller players, they say they feel like they are going extinct. Do you disagree with that?
JOHN ISNER: Oh, no, I don't think so. You know, it's very easy to say that because we're so big we win on our serve. A lot of times that is true. But I don't think the big guys like myself get our due for how hard we work. You know, I don't go out to practice and just roll over a few serves and call it a day. I work hard on the court, off the court. And the other resident tall players do, as well.

Q. I have a question outside the tennis. I'm from Switzerland. I was wondering if you are aware that your family or the family name Isner is coming from Switzerland, that you have roots in Switzerland? Did you know that?
JOHN ISNER: Oh, well, I knew that it could have been Swiss but also German a little bit. I have never met another Isner. For some reason back in the United States there are a lot of Isners in the state of West Virginia, so that's bizarre. So it's not a common last name. You know, maybe I can tell Roger I'm Swiss now (laughter).

So we have that in common.

Q. Apparently there is somebody who does this research, and your family is really coming from Switzerland.
JOHN ISNER: Really? My family? My, my family? Maybe they are Swiss-German.

Q. It's really very much origin from...
JOHN ISNER: Did they get some of my DNA or something to do that?

Q. No. I think somebody even murdered somebody in the war.
JOHN ISNER: All right. I'm going to bring that up to Roger, actually.

Q. So you never heard about that?
JOHN ISNER: Thank you for mentioning that.

Q. You may play Ruben Bemelmans next round. How well do you know him? She's Swiss and I'm from Belgium.
JOHN ISNER: I know his game pretty well. We haven't played that much. He's currently playing Steve, who I think I have played 10 times. So of course Steve and I play a lot of the same events.

And not really thinking about either one of those players right now. I will just see who gets through and then my focus will be on that.

Q. I have got to ask you --
JOHN ISNER: I think Ruben, I think his best surface is probably grass, being lefty for him that helps. He's a flat ball hitter. I think the grass does a lot of good things for his game. I saw that he came through qualifying pretty easy, and seems to be pretty confident right now. I know he's currently winning the match.

Q. Speaking of Steve and Sam Querrey was in here earlier talking about his wedding, how you and Steve were there.
JOHN ISNER: Yeah.

Q. They were at yours and you guys were at Steve's.
JOHN ISNER: Exactly.

Q. What's that been like for you all three of you in the last six months to all get married?
JOHN ISNER: It's crazy. I started it off in December and it was like dominoes, those guys fell quickly.

Yeah, I think just for all three of us, the timing was right. So it's just a coincidence that they happened to all be within six months. I think for all of us in our lives the timing was perfect for getting married.

And of course, you know, I have been on tour with Sam for 11 years, and Steve now for 6, 7 years. We all do get along so well. We wouldn't be in each other's wedding standing up there beside everyone if we didn't get along so well.

So it's a good thing for all of us. We are certainly friends for life.

Q. In terms of your history playing here at Wimbledon, what is your favorite win and when you think back to it now what stands out most specifically?
JOHN ISNER: I think my first-round win today. No, I'm kidding (smiling).

Of course the one in 2010. It's kind of a love/hate. It was kind of my best win but in the same breath testifies a nightmare, as well, being out there for three days. Took me a long time to be able to escape that match and here we are eight years later, and of course when Wimbledon rolls around obviously people are going to talk about it.

I really didn't, to be honest, I didn't enjoy it so much for the first year or so after that match, because everyone talked about it and it got very, very tiring.

But right now it's amazing that I was a part of that unique match. I have said this a lot. I don't think people are going to in the future really remember who won that match. I think it was just about us playing it.

So you know, I did happen to win, but the result didn't mean much. It was just very super crazy and amazing to be a part of that, and that plaque outside of court 18 will always be there. Wimbledon 3020 it will be there unless someone breaks that record.

So it's pretty cool.

Q. It's pretty special to hear a 33-year-old athlete say he's performing his best ever in his career. You talked about professionalism and devotion, but could you take it a little bit further, just how do you think your game is better? How have you improved?
JOHN ISNER: Yeah, I have always just continued to evolve as a player, always continued to work hard on my game. And the No. 1 thing that I do in my opinion really well is I take care of myself. I very rarely take any days off. I will take days off practicing, for sure. I can put my racquets in the closet and let them be, but I know for being so big I have to keep my body active and my body moving, because when I don't do that, I start to hurt. My knees start to hurt. Everything starts to sort of break down.

So I work hard physically. And from that, I have been very healthy. So that's the No. 1 thing. I have been healthy throughout my career, and I have a great team in place, and constantly trying to improve even though I am 33.

So, you know, my career certainly has a shelf life, so I don't want to be 40 years old and look back and not having put everything into my tennis game. I'm in a very special position now and I want to make the most of it.

Q. How long is it before your body starts to notice it, two, three days?
JOHN ISNER: Oh, yeah. I think if I don't do anything for two, three days, I feel terrible. I have to sweat, I have to work out, I have to lift weights. That's what keeps me feeling healthy.

Q. You're coming in as a top-ranked American but one spot off your career high of No. 9. The silver lining of last year's result here is not many points to defend. If you have a good run here, could be a new career high. Is that in the back of your mind as extra incentive these two weeks?
JOHN ISNER: Yeah, certainly, I would love to get to No. 8. This is my third time -- I'm currently 10, but I have reached No. 9 three different times: 2012, '14, and now '18. This is my third trip inside the top 10. Never could get to the top 8.

I think someone told me when Thiem beat Rafa in Madrid he blocked me from getting 8. So that's too good. I have got to keep pushing forward.

As you said, I'm not defending too many points. I'm not thinking about that. You know, defending points doesn't really matter. It's how you perform throughout the whole course of a year. I would certainly love to end the year in the top 10. That's something I have never done.

Q. Do you like playing lefties maybe apart from Rafa?
JOHN ISNER: No, I don't think anyone likes playing lefties. It's a necessary evil of the tennis game. I have played him so many times and... It's just different. You're not used to it. Left-handed pitching in baseball, it's very difficult to hit. You don't see it as much and grass especially is a pretty tricky surface playing a lefty. So if I were to play Ruben I know I would have my hands full.

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