"I'm the oldest in Top 100 and I'm proud of that" - Isner not ready to hang it up
ATP
John Isner will begin yet another season on the ATP Tour at the 2023 ASB Classic, and he doesn't seem to have any plans of stopping.
At the moment, the tall American is the oldest player in the Top 100 on the ATP Tour. He's 37, and the word retirement doesn't seem to be in his vocabulary.
Last year, Isner played 40 matches and won 23 of those, and he seems to be excited about the new season ahead. He feels fortunate to be able to continue playing, and it also makes him feel proud.
"I am still feeling pretty good. I know I am in the twilight of my career and a lot of players my age aren't playing anymore, so I think I'm very fortunate to still be playing. I think I'm the oldest player in the Top 100, which is actually something I'm very proud of."
Thanks to being very tall, Isner's serve carries him through most of the match, which look differently than those of the vast majority of the players.
It's mostly about serves and returns, and that also probably helped him with longevity. Although others might not enjoy standing on the opposite side of the net against Isner, he still loves competing.
"I still like to compete, it keeps me going. I'd be lying to you if I told you I love all the work that goes in. Sometimes practice can get pretty monotonous, but I do love the training, and off-court, I am just trying to get myself in a good spot to compete with players much younger than I am."
"You can't play tennis forever, so I want to try to make this last as long as possible. I am ready to achieve some really cool things this year."
Family is also a big aspect of why he keeps playing. While some players feel more like they want to settle and spend time with their loved ones, Isner enjoys having them on the Tour with him, which also makes it easier to digest some of the painful losses.
"I really enjoying having them here. It makes the losses easier because it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Ten years ago, when I was 27 years old and without a family, without a wife, the losses kind of hurt more."
