John Isner’s tennis trophies don’t fill his house. The 16-time tournament champion has trophies from his junior, college and professional days, but he isn’t big on displaying them for guests to see. The only ones that are showcased are in his upstairs room and they all look the same.
On his mantle, five trophies from the Atlanta Open sit in a line. The former Georgia Bulldog says they’re right next to the TV that he watches football games on.
Isner, 36, will soon have to add a sixth trophy to the mantlepiece, as he won the Truist Atlanta Open Sunday, defeating 19-year-old American Brandon Nakashima in straight sets, winning a tiebreaker 10-8 in the first set and closing out the match with a 7-5 win.
Credit: Daniel Varnado
Credit: Daniel Varnado
“I get a smaller replica and I actually have them up,” Isner said after the match. “I don’t have all my trophies up, but I think the fact that I have so many of these, it’s cool that I can line them up on the mantle year after year.”
The victory is Isner’s first since 2019 and first on hard court since his last win in Atlanta in the 2018 edition of the annual tournament played in Atlantic Station.
Due to the coronavirus and the idea of having to quarantine in order to play tournaments, Isner instead opted to spend much of the last 18 months at home with his family in Texas. He has two children and he and his wife, Madison, are expecting their third later this year.
Isner said that seeing his kids present at Sunday’s match was a special sight.
“It’s definitely good motivation for me because I want my kids now to be able to watch me play and understand what is going on,” Isner said. “I don’t think my daughter quite understands this yet. I think if another year or two goes by, she’ll truly understand and like what I do.”
Nakashima quickly took the first point, winning 45-0. Isner wore a veil of defeat and was a little slow to return Nakashima’s serves.
Then Isner got to serve and dominated, using his size to his advantage like he has for the bulk of his career. As the set went on, Nakashima’s posture went unfazed and he was able to return some of the monster serves Isner delivered.
Nakashima had a 5-4 lead and hit a pretty volley to create a potential advantage point. Instead, Isner hunkered down and fought back to set up a first-set tiebreaker. Neither player wanted to give an inch and the tiebreaker featured several strong rallies.
Isner was able to win the set, he turned behind him to where his wife and kids were sitting and let out a loud yell as he gave a double fist pump.
Credit: Daniel Varnado
Credit: Daniel Varnado
“It was tough when he was serving so well the whole match,” Nakashima said. “It definitely puts a lot of pressure on myself and my service games to try and keep up with him.”
With a one-set lead and the serve on his side, Isner played with more confidence and looser in the second set. His serves were strong, he was crafty in his volleys and he got Nakashima off his baseline.
Nakashima, playing in his second consecutive ATP final, didn’t go down without a fight. Isner held a 5-4 lead and was up 40-0 in the game as some members of the crowd rose to their feet.
The 19-year-old chipped away at Isner’s lead and used a brilliant soft volley to win the game, tying the set at five games apiece.
“I wasn’t too displeased with the points,” Isner said. “I made him play some pretty good shots under pressure and he did, but I did have some looks when he was at the net that I didn’t really commit to.”
Isner has been there before though and wasn’t going to let the opportunity to win in his favorite venue slip away. The 6-foot-10 veteran upped his serve and used the pro-Isner crowd to put pressure on Nakashima.
After fighting off several advantage points, Nakashima forfeited a double fault for the last game point, handing Isner his sixth Atlanta Open title.
“I don’t take for granted playing on Sunday at this tournament,” Isner said. “Hopefully I can get back to playing Sunday here again.”
The win is Isner’s 16th professional title and his first on hard court since the 2018 edition of the Atlanta Open.
The two players were very congratulatory in the on-court trophy ceremony, after playing each other July 23 in Los Cabos, Mexico. Each of them praised the other for their play, despite the difference in age.
“It’s an honor to share the court with him,” Nakashima said. “Growing up watching him and cheering for him and it’s always so cool to see him playing out here. Especially as he’s getting older and still playing good tennis, it’s cool to see.”
Before leaving the court, Isner let out a “Go Dawgs” as he headed to the exits.
“It seems a little back to normal,” Isner said. “I think I gave fans as much of my time as possible. I saw a bunch of Georgia hats and shirts in the crowd and I appreciated that. I heard a lot of barking. I think things are starting to normalize.”
To close out the week, the duo of American Reilly Opelka and Italian Jannik Sinner defeated American Steve Johnson and Jordan Thompson, 6-4, 7-6, 10-3.
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