By Elena Scuro |
Photo Credit: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters |
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American John Isner is climbing ever higher in the tennis world and in his career. Last week he reached a career-high ranking of No. 11 in the world, has recently notched a victory against Roger Federer (on clay in Switzerland) and broke numerous records during his famous marathon match at Wimbledon in 2010. Here are some things you may not know about him:
1. He’s a Bulldog: It’s safe to say anyone who has heard of Isner knows he went to the University of Georgia. He can usually be seen off the court wearing a UGA hat or tweeting something about the Bulldogs (“go dawgs,” in particular). Isner played tennis there from 2004 to 2007, prior to turning pro, and became the school’s all-time leader in singles and doubles victories. He earned All-American honors each of his four years and led his team to the 2007 NCAA Championship.
2. Yes, He Played A Really Long Match: If you’ve been following tennis for years you know Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut in the longest matched ever played at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68. If you’re a new tennis fan then here’s what you need to know - Isner set the record for most aces in a single match (113), most aces in a Grand Slam singles match (113), most aces in a single set (85), most games won in a single match (92) and most winners in a single match (246). With Mahut, Isner holds the records for longest singles match ever played (11 hours, 5 minutes), longest play in a single day (7 hours, 6 minutes) and most games in a single day (118).
3. He Won An ESPY: With Mahut, Isner won the 2010 ESPY Award for Best Record-Breaking Performance in sport.
4. @JohnIsner: An avid tweeter with over 80,000 followers, Isner follows numerous athletes (besides tennis players) like Dirk Nowitzki, Rory McIlroy and Chris Paul, and actress Ashley Greene. (Follow him!)
5. He Loves Wrestling: One of Isner’s favorite tweeting topics is the WWE. He’s said, “It’s something that I’ve loved since I was little, and I get a lot of grief about it, but it’s something I just love.”
6. He’s A Sweater: Isner often goes through numerous shirts, shorts, hats and wristbands during a match, especially during the humid hardcourt season in the United States. Now sponsored by Lacoste, hopefully they’ll stock him with a lot of extra gear this Summer!
7. Declines With Regrets: Isner has two brothers and one got married last year, but John was not in attendance. Instead, he was playing the ATP final in Newport, Rhode Island. “It worked out for the best, because once I won that tournament it gave me a lot of confidence,” he said.
8. He’s An Olympic Ambassador: Isner is serving as one of Coca-Cola’s “Ambassadors of Active Living” for the 2012 Olympic Games and will take part in the campaign to help encourage and inspire people to lead active, balanced lives. “They've chosen eight athletes to kind of sponsor and highlight for next year's Olympics, and I'm one of them. That's a huge achievement. I feel definitely honored to be a part of their team,” he said.
9. NBA If Not Tennis: Isner played basketball until the ninth grade and has said if he wasn’t a tennis player he would probably play professional basketball. Also, he said his idol was former NBA star Karl Malone.
10. He Helps Out: Because his mom is an ovarian cancer survivor, Isner often does his part to support the research foundation. “After her battle with the disease, I try to help cancer research as much as I can by taking part in several charity events all over the country when my time allows me to do so,” he said.