Isner not keen on being the Marathon Man

WASHINGTON - John Isner is 25 years old and already the first line of his obituary is written: "John Isner, the man who won the longest tennis match in history . . . "

It is now six weeks since his truly momentous 70-68 fifth-set victory over Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, a three-day, 11-hour duel, and Isner wants his life back. "That stupid Wimbledon match," he has called it.

"Physically, I'm fine," Isner said early Wednesday morning after another maximum-games struggle. "Mentally, I'm a bit worn out answering questions about it, hearing jokes every single day. But I can't escape it."

It was almost 1 a.m. Isner, in his first match of the U.S. Open hardcourt tune-up here, had just outlasted 21-year-old Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker - the fellow who eliminated him from Wimbledon the day after that overextended Mahut narrative - 7-6 (6), 7-6 (8).

Again, Isner had composed a profile in persistence - one more lengthy march through tiebreaker sets that he mostly manages to keep under control by being 6-9 and delivering Hammer of Thor serves from On High: The Isner Top Kill.

Three years ago, veteran pro Tommy Haas concluded that the tour "should seriously consider making a rule: If you are over 6-foot-6, you should not be allowed to play."

And while part of the physics of being 6-9 is a tradeoff between power and quickness, Isner prides himself on "competing well," which is clearly borne out that in 44 matches this year, he has played 39 tiebreakers (winning 25).

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Off the court, his impatience is showing over the longest-match-in-history tag.

Mardy Fish, among players who have dealt with great U.S. tennis expectations, noted Isner's current challenge of having "this newfound fame that he has to try to figure out now. We'll see how he handles it."

Old champ John McEnroe recently suggested, "There should be people like Duracell and others" seeking out Isner for endorsements based on that unique Wimbledon happening. In fact, the Athlete Promotions website declares Isner "now available" for such functions as "casino appearances, trade show appearances, celebrity golf tournaments, television commercials, VIP Meet & Greets . . . "

A most recent celebrity gig for the former Little Leaguer was throwing out the ceremonial first ball at a Washington Nationals game Saturday night (the pitch, like Isner, was high).

In the immediate aftermath of his Wimbledon epic, Isner had run good-naturedly with the marathon theme, participating in David Letterman's "10 thoughts that went through John Isner's mind during his 11-hour tennis match." (Samples: "We've been playing so long, I've forgotten: Am I Isner or Mahut?" Also: "Why couldn't I have played Federer. It would've been over in 15 minutes.")

Similarly, Isner has displayed good humor about his size in the past ("I was a huge baby. Huge. Ten pounds. I've seen pictures.") and his U.S. Open center-court debut, when he took a set off Federer only 13 matches into his pro career in 2007. "I honestly have dreamed about playing Roger Federer on center court," Isner said then. "Literally."

Now, though, he wants to write the rest of his life story.