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U.S. OPENAugust 27, 2013John IsnerNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK J. ISNER/F. Volandri THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Good start, John? Feeling good about the match? JOHN ISNER: Yeah, very good start. Can't ask for anything better on my side. I thought I played very well, played like I should, and really no complaints at all. Q. How did you feel about making a switch from Ashe to the Grandstand because of the rain? JOHN ISNER: It was fine. You know, I feel like I'm probably a better player on Grandstand than I am Ashe, given that the actual court is smaller. There is not enough room to run around out there. You know, it's not as windy. The conditions really suit me just fine. So, you know, it's great playing on Ashe, but I was fine with the whole situation. Q. You have had some incredible life experiences with James. Could you take a minute and share one or two of your favorite James Blake stories? JOHN ISNER: Some I probably shouldn't say. (Laughter). But we lived legitimately in the same neighborhood for a few years, and even before that. We lived in Tampa for the longest time together, and before I moved in near him I was eating dinner at his house four nights a week. We have been really close. Ever since I got on tour he's been a, you know, a very great influence on me. It's not that, you know, he has sat me down and given me life‑changing talks or anything. I have trained with him and I have seen how hard he's worked. I have just become really close with him, and I will continue to be very close with him. All in all‑‑ and, you know, you guys hear a lot. Everybody says he's a great guy and a class act. That's a 100% true. There's not a classier guy, in my opinion, than James Blake. We disagree on a lot of things as far as sports and politics and whatnot, but he's a class guy. Q. What does he mean to the tour? What has he meant to the tour? JOHN ISNER: You know, he's a success story. You know, his story, you know, I have read his book before. I read it a long time ago. It's incredible what he's been through. He had that freak accident in Rome and he almost was paralyzed. Half his face was paralyzed. I mean, he was bedridden for months at a time. His father passed away. He just went through so much, especially during the course of that one year. To see him come back the way he did is very, very admirable. He's a guy that he got to No. 4 in the world. I would love to get to No. 4 in the world. So, you know, he's done very well with his tennis and he's set himself up very nicely. He has a beautiful wife and a beautiful kid. He's been a great player on the tour for so many years. Q. You spoke a few minutes ago about the state of your game today. What is the state of your game in general, and what do you think you have most improved in? JOHN ISNER: You know, I have won a lot of matches. It's not that I'venot, you know, been practicing hard or working out hard. That's not the case. I work hard all throughout the year, and, you know, I just seem to have finally put it together here during the summer season, just as a lot of players are. If I can get a lot of wins under my belt, you know, I become very confident. When I'm confident I feel like I'm very tough to beat, and I think that showed today. I played the big points well today and I was really going for my shots and I felt great out there. That's in large part because I'm very confident. Q. With Andy not here this year, does it feel a little different for you being as you are the best American here obviously, clearly? Does it put a little more responsibility or feel... JOHN ISNER: No, I don't think so. I know Andy was here last year. I think I was the No. 1 American here last year and I played on Ashe last year. But it's like, to me, I feel like Andy carried a bigger burden than a guy like myself. He was always, always in the spotlight. Any time he lost a match, you know, he got a lot of bad press from it and whatnot. He carried the torch for so, so long. Really him and James did for quite a long time. So, you know, for me, yeah, you know, I'm playing well and I'm enjoying what I'm doing. I don't really feel any extra pressure to perform well because I am currently the No. 1 American. Q. In the tournaments leading up, obviously the two finals, how much confidence can you derive from that coming into this one? JOHN ISNER: A lot. It really started in Atlanta when I won that tournament, and very next week I made the finals of D.C.; two weeks after that made a final in Cincinnati. So I played a lot of matches so far this summer, and at certain points I have been pretty haggard, pretty tired. But it's a very, very good problem to have when you can sort of manage your schedule and, you know, take time off to let your body heal and whatnot because you have been playing a lot of matches. So I am very confident. When you win a lot, just naturally you become confident. There has been times when I'm not winning so much and I'm the exact opposite. From that, I don't play as well. But as of right now, I'm in a pretty good spot. Q. Rafa has been playing great tennis. You had an opportunity to face him in a final. How much of a learning experience is it when you go up against one of the best players ever, peaking right now, and to face him in a final coming into a Grand Slam? JOHN ISNER: No, that was a great experience for me. Not only did I ‑‑yeah, I faced him in a final. I faced him in a final when he was coming off just winning the week before. He's full of confidence. He's as good as he is. When he's very, very confident he's even tougher. It was a great experience for me. I thought I played very well that day. Just wasn't good enough against him. He does so many things so well that frustrates everyone and makes it so tough. For me, it was a great experience. It was a very close match, too. It's something that I won't forget very soon, but I can draw a lot of confidence from, you know, that whole week, not just that match. Q. You played Kevin in the Atlanta final, who of course had a fabulous collegiate career like you. Just talk about college as an option. Is it still viable? Downside? Upside? JOHN ISNER: Well, on the men's side I think it's definitely viable, and also on the women's side, but probably more so on the men's. You guys know there aren't many 19, 20 years olds on the tour right now ‑ at least in the top 100 at all. In my opinion, there's no better way to become a better player and really just a better person in general, to go to college during those years and‑‑ you know, go to college, win a lot of matches, which is what I did. When you leave college, you come off feeling pretty good about yourself and about your game. This game is changing a little bit where, as I just said, there aren't too many teenagers ranked high right now. Q. Is there sometimes more pressure when there are 5,000 fans in Athens rooting for you? Talk about that and the pressure. JOHN ISNER: Yeah, college tennis, it does set you up well for pressure situations, you know, when you're playing professionally and playing for yourself. I think the pressure of college tennis is a lot bigger, in my opinion, than the pressure of pro tennis, because you're not playing for yourself. You're playing for your school and playing for your teammates and whatnot. There is a lot riding on those matches, especially the big pressure‑packed matches that I was able to compete in in college. For me, it was the right way to go. Q. Speaking of colleges, what are your thoughts on Georgia's football opener? JOHN ISNER: Yeah, it's going to be tough. You know, I have been seeing the commercials for it. It's getting closer and closer. I'm getting nervous. Schedule is brutal to start out. Playing in Death Valley against Clemson, 8:00 p.m.; night game is not going to be easy. I have faith in my Dogs. I think they will pull it out. Q. James was a Tarheel and you're a Dog. Did that get to be dicey when you're going back and forth with James Blake in terms of college... JOHN ISNER: Well, he's always been a UNC, fan but he's a Harvard guy before he's a Tarheel. You know, he always gives me crap about, you know, Georgia, academics and whatnot, going to summer camp or whatever he calls it. Just because he went to Harvard he has that elitist thing going (Laughter). No, not really. But, no, then in turn I make fun of his football team. It works both ways. He's a guy that I'm going to miss on tour, and a lot of us are going to miss on tour. Q. You had the crowd behind you today obviously, and I think most of the time when you play here you do. NewYork crowd is kind of notoriously rowdy. Do you feel like U.S. tennis players have an advantage when they play in NewYork? JOHN ISNER: We absolutely do. Every time I play in the States I feel like I have a home court advantage. That's one of the main reasons my best results come in the States. They always have. This year is no different. Having the fans on your side and being in an atmosphere that you're comfortable with is a huge advantage. So, I mean, I can't equate it to, you know, home court for a basketball team or something like that. I think it does give us a little bit of a built‑in advantage. Q. When you see guys like Ryan Harrison and Rhyne Williams go out in the first round, I know you say you don't feel any added pressure, but it diminishes the number of Americans in the draw. Do you feel that coming into today, and what do you think of those guys going forward? JOHN ISNER: Ryan had a ‑‑Ryan Harrison had obviously a tough draw. Played the guy to beat in this tournament and he didn't beat him, which how many people have? I know Rhyne Williams also very tough match. I was aware that they lost, you know. I always want them to win, but it doesn't change what I do. It's kind of selfish, but I'm focusing on myself. I just want to go as far as I possibly can. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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