Andy Murray was in the second round at Wimbledon. But, because the aging American John Isner put together one of his best matches ever. His hefty serves, his huge forehand, and at times, his backhand were sent deep. He had never beaten Murray before, but at Wimbledon, he played so solid, winning the match 6-4 7-6(4) 6-7(3) 6-4.Isner can show his disappointment. When he isn’t playing well enough, and after he loses, he will go into the press room and he can be almost silent. And he can become angry, too. However, he has grown up a lot. The 37-year-old can also be responsible and attentive.
“That’s really all it came down to. I guess I didn’t give him many opportunities to spin his web and get me tangled up in it,” Isner said. “If I got embroiled in too many rallies with him, it just wasn’t going to go well for me. I had an incredible serving day and I needed every single bit of it to beat him.”
Yes he did, but it is early in the fortnight. If he can reach the second week, then he can be thinking that it is possible to go very deep for the last time. He reached the semis in 2018, one of two US men to gain a Slam semi since Andy Roddick’s US Open victory. But to do that, he has to down No. 13 Jannik Sinner in the third round, and the young Italian is churning.
Two another Americans won on Wednesday. Tommy Paul beat Adrian Mannarino 6-2 6-4 6-1. This is the first time that he is seeded at a Slam. However, if the Russians were able to play at Wimbledon (uninvited due to with the war in Ukraine), then Paul would not have be seeded. But, in reality, Paul has had a good year.
Steve Johnson has been around for a long time, and he has been stuck, trying to get back into the top 50 for years. After he beat Ryan Peniston 6-3 6-2 6-4, Johnson looked more respectable, and maybe he decided to be much more aggressive. In 2016 he reached No. 21. So, if he can rise up, then perhaps he can recall what he really did on court. Being ranked No. 93 he must be irked. To beat the very fit Cameron Norrie on Friday, he is going to have to play nearly 100 percent.
Casper Ruud looked so good at Roland Garros on clay, but he just fell against Ugo Humbert in four sets. That was very surprising.
Carlos Alcaraz is still clubbing the ball. While his rise has been dynamic, the 19-year-old is still trying for a breakthrough at a major. He looked respectable when he beat Tallon Griekspoor 6-4 7-6(0) 6-3.
Reilly Opelka has been slumping, on the clay and on the grass in the last few months. He lost to Tim van Rijthoven 6-4 6-7(8) 7-6(7) 7-6(4). He must be ready to be on the hardcourts, ASAP. However, the very tall man has to return better. The same goes with Isner: they can win a lot of matches, but to win a Grand Slam, an all-court game is a requirement.