One small step for man, one giant leap for John Isner. A few months ago, you would have said that it would be a tall order for the American to make the top 10. But after a few big results over the past few weeks it is beginning to look like a possibility.
Isner hit the heights (ok enough of tall jokes) when he won the Atlanta open a few weeks ago, a victory that served as a big boost for the 30 year old. The 6’10 man defeated Marcos Baghdatis in the final to get his North American hard court swing off to the perfect start.
Isner was not done there. He would go on to make the final of the Washington 500 event the following week, eventually losing out to second seed Kei Nishikori in three sets 6-4, 4-6, 4-6.
The 550 points received for an excellent two weeks earned Isner the right to call himself the world #12, and his run in Montreal this week has boosted The American’s chances of reaching the top 10 yet again. His career best is #9 in the world achieved back in 2012.
The significance of Isner’s recent form cannot be understated. He is now 9th in the race rankings and David Ferrer’s injury could mean World Tour Finals contention. The move from 18th to 12 in the world last week will also have big implications for the US Open. Isner may now secure a top 16 seed, meaning he will avoid the top players until the fourth round. If he can keep it at 12 he will also avoid the top four seeds in the last 16 stage at Flushing Meadows.
It is quite remarkable considering that only in early July was Isner losing to Rajeev Ram. Before his title run in Atlanta, the 30 year old was a meek 23-16 in 2015, a record that has improved to 34-18 following his loss to Jeremy Chardy. He had reached the semi-finals of the Miami masters earlier in the year, so is it the home soil that inspires him?
We all know how dangerous big John can be with his mammoth serving and powerful ground strokes, nobody likes facing him. Isner proved popular by dumping Nick Kyrgios out of Montreal, and his run continued to the quarter finals where he would eventually bow out in three tiebreak sets to Chardy.
Whether the three straight weeks of deep runs will have an effect on Isner physically is unknown. It does look like he has been carrying a slight injury in Montreal, and his ability to perform at 100% in Cincinnati next week can be questioned. It will be interesting to see if he pulls out and rests for the US Open or continues to battle on with top 10 in his sights. A title win would secure that position this week, but even for Isner it will be a tall order.
Regardless of what happens, the world #12 has put himself in a good position to make a deep run at the US Open. He will be a player everyone will want to avoid, and the crowd support could give the American the extra edge he needs. Who knows, a run to the quarter finals could put Isner in a good position to qualify for the season ending finale? But let’s not think that far ahead, for right now it is baby steps.
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