John Isner, born on April 26, 1985, in Greensboro, North Carolina, is a recently retired American tennis player, most known for his towering height and powerful serve. He was brought up in a very sports-orientated family by his parents, Robert and Karen.
He first picked up the racquet at age 9, later representing his high school and leading them to a state championship in 2001. Before progressing to the United States college system, he was making a name for himself on the tennis scene, playing at the 2002 US Open Juniors tournament, albeit losing in the second round to eventual winner Richard Gasquet.
He then progressed onto college, playing at the University of Georgia, where he achieved great things, including the NCAA All-American honors, as well as leading them to the 2007 NCAA team championship.
One of Isner’s defining characteristics was his height. Standing at 6 feet and 9 inches (208 centimeters) tall, it gave him a sometimes insurmountable advantage on his serve, and the American still holds the record for the fastest serve, which is officially recognized by the ATP, at 157.2 mph (253 km/h).
Another defining feature of his game was his stamina. Being able to last hours on the court was something he quickly had to become accustomed to, with a lot of his sets going to a tiebreak, thanks to his potent service games. This was taken to another level at Wimbledon in 2010, however, when he played the longest tennis match ever against Nicolas Mahut, lasting 11 hours and 5 minutes and spreading across three days.
Naturally, his game lent itself well to the hard and grass courts. A career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-final in 2018 helped him to achieve a career-best ranking of world number 8 in that same year. Success came long before 2018, however, with the American claiming his first ATP title at the 2010 Auckland Open.
Other career highlights include his victory at the ATP Masters 1000 in Miami in 2018. To date, his fast-serve game has helped him claim a total of 16 singles titles on the professional men’s tour.
His popularity extends outside of tennis as well, with the American being widely recognized for his charitable engagements. He has contributed to various community projects, which helps continue not only his legacy off the court but also a good name for tennis as a whole.
