Tag Archives: Isner
Hardcourt Retrospective 2012 (Part One)
The ATP calendar has never made a great deal of sense, which is no great issue, since nowhere is it written that sporting schedules need to be sensible. In the case of tennis, a global concern with a vast delta … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour, By the Numbers
A Flash of Light
Indian Wells, Final (3) Federer d. (11) Isner, 7/6 6/3 It is difficult to imagine how this weekend could have been more satisfying for Roger Federer, who has for almost a decade masterfully balanced the clichéd necessity of negotiating each … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
It Was An Ace, It Was Victory
Indian Wells, Semifinals (11) Isner d. (1) Djokovic, 7/6 3/6 7/6 (3) Federer d. (2) Nadal, 6/3 6/4 The worst thing about the constant finals between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic is not necessarily the length of the matches (which … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
That Hackneyed Show-Tune
Davis Cup, First Round Croatia d. Japan 3-2 Karlovic d. Soeda, 7/6 6/1 6/4 It wasn’t the only story to emerge from the first Davis Cup weekend of the year, but the big story was of big men playing big … Continue reading
Filed under Davis Cup
Tactics and Execution
Davis Cup, First Round Day One Fish d. Wawrinka, 6/2 4/6 4/6 6/1 9/7 Isner d. Federer, 4/6 6/3 7/6 6/2 Last year’s Davis Cup first round was as crushingly dull as it was predictable, or crushingly dull because it … Continue reading
Filed under Davis Cup
Compromising
Washington, Third Round Isner d. Blake, 7/6 1/6 7/6 ‘Blake actually went for the winner . . . I’m surprised he did that.’ It’s hard to imagine any commentator in the last ten years uttering these words with a straight … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
A Final Mix Up
Hamburg, Final (5) Simon d. (3) Almagro, 6/4 4/6 6/4 Somewhere between the week that was and the finals that weren’t, the finals that should have been were misplaced. The surprisingly enjoyable German Open taught us that second tier Europeans … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
An Awfully Nice Curse
Roland Garros, Day Three (Q) Kubot d. (11) Almagro, 3/6 2/6 7/6 7/6 6/4 Of all the practical jokes recently inflicted on Nicolas Almagro, two in particular were humdingers, and it’s a nice question which of them has proved funnier. … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
Back and Forth
US Men’s Clay Court Championship, Quarterfinals Karlovic d. Isner, 6/7 7/6 7/6 As advertisements for professional tennis go, you could probably come up with something less enticing than Ivo Karlovic versus John Isner, but you’d have to get creative. It … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
More Sizzle
Heineken Open, Auckland Nalbandian d. Isner, 6/4 7/6 Insofar as disparate gatherings of strangers can boast anything – beyond a tendency to wildly applaud any celebrity pledging self-reform – tennis crowds often boast distinct personalities. It is frequently remarked upon … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour