ATP-Finals: Zverev about “Buddy” Isner: “He showed me how tennis works”

Alexander Zverev will meet a special friend in the final and decisive group game on Friday: the service giant John Isner has been able to give the German number one important tips in the past.

Him of all people. John Isner of all people. Of all people, the best friend Alexander Zverev has in tennis is probably now the great fun and spoilsport for him at the World Cup in London. “He showed me how to play tennis,” says Zverev about the 33-year-old American. Now, on Friday in the last group match at the championship in the O2 Arena, Zverev must show that he can hide the friendship and eliminate Isner in the race for the second semi-final place next to the already qualified Novak Djokovic.

“I always wish John the greatest possible success,” says Zverev, “but of course not when we play against each other.” If Zverev wins in two sets, he’s sure to make it to the preliminary round. If he loses by a narrow margin, there will be a remaining chance and the result of the second match between Djokovic and the Croat Marin Cilic on the last day of the preliminary round will be decisive.

Isner, this tree-length guy who overlooks the world from a light height of 2.08 metres, is experiencing an amazing career spring on his older tennis days. And this also has something to do with Zverev, even though the 21-year-old from Hamburg has to suffer from this fact.

Since Isner won the Masters Tournament in Miami at the end of March, in the final against a certain Alexander Zverev, he has started like never before in the touring business of the tennis nomads. “It was really like an initial spark, a mental breakthrough for me”, says Isner, “for the first time I really had the feeling that I could do great things in my sport”.

Memorable moments from this final in the south of Florida have been remembered, especially from the winning ceremony afterwards. Zverev thanked Isner for many hours of training together at the US camp in Saddlebrook, “even when I was a little boy of 12”: “You were so often there for me.” And so praised and praised, Isner gladly returned the compliments: “You will become a great champion, boy. You have the best team in the world, you do everything right.” Both, Isner and Zverev, wiped tears from their faces afterwards.

Now Isner is again Zverev’s opponent in a great moment. The Isner who has his place in tennis history for ages to come. Not because of a spectacular victory, but because of a game that seemed to last an eternity itself. In 2010 Isner won the marathon of all marathons against the Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in Wimbledon. The match lasted eleven hours and five minutes net. Isner won the last set with 70:68 games, on the third day in a row, where he was 14th in the All England Club with Mahut because of various weather caprioles. “This game will always have a special place in my heart”, says Isner, “in tennis it was an experience like no other”.

Isner is a giant of the Centre Courts. He is, beside the Croatian Ivo Karlovic, the modern “master of the aces”, as the second active player beside Karlovic he broke the sound barrier of 10.000 career full hits last. In his record victory over Mahut at Wimbledon, he beat 113 aces. Isner also holds another ATP record – together with pensioner Tommy Haas: He won a tournament in Newport, USA, in 2017 without having even allowed a single breakpoint.

In his youth Isner was, more than obvious, also an enthusiastic basketball player, even now the man with a shoe size of 52 says he was very close to “entering the basketball business as a kid”. Today Isner plays golf pretty well, loves to fish for relaxation, watches baseball matches and is a football fan of the NFL team Carolina Panthers. “I am a total sports freak,” says Isner, who became a father for the first time two months ago (his daughter is called Hunter Grace).

At the Grand Slam celebrations in Wimbledon this year Isner also made a name for himself outside the Centre Court: Before his (later lost) semi-final match against South African Kevin Anderson, the politically conservative giant urgently wished for a detour to Wimbledon from US President Donald Trump – the head of the White House was then on a state visit to the United Kingdom. “It would be wonderful, simply fantastic, if he would come over,” said Isner. He was, however, rather alone with this request in the wide corridor.