John Isner's career comes to an end with loss to Michael Mmoh at U.S. Open
John Isner reacts after losing to Michael Mmoh during the second round of the U.S. Open on Thursday. Credit: AP/John Minchillo
Michael Mmoh had just won the biggest match of his career, but as fans in the U.S. Open grandstand cheered, he pointed and applauded in tribute to his opponent, John Isner.
There Isner sat, face buried in a towel, pondering a dramatic if frustrating end to his long singles career.
After winning the first two sets of a second-round match on Thursday, Isner dropped three in a row to Mmoh, losing, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (7).
Come early evening, he was through in doubles, too, losing a first-round match with partner Jack Sock to Robert Galloway and Albano Olivetti, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (3).
After the doubles match, which attracted an overflow crowd to Court 12, the two winners joined the crowd in clapping for Isner.
“It’s a range of emotions,” he said after the two matches were over. “There's, of course, a lot of disappointment with the result of my singles match today, but at the same time a lot of gratitude, as well, just to have one last time playing in an atmosphere like that.”
The nearly four-hour battle between the two Americans filled the seats, with fans knowing that Isner had announced before the tournament it would be his last.
He flashed his trademark big serve, recording 48 aces, and had a match point in the fifth set.
It was fitting for Isner’s finale to come down to a fifth-set tiebreaker, which he lost, 10-7. He is known for such things.
He won the longest match in major tournament history — an 11-hour, five-minute first round victory over Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010. Isner won the fifth set, 70-68.
“I had a match point,” Isner said of Thursday’s match. “[Mmoh] hit a really good serve. Obviously in my matches, it's kind of fitting it finished like it did. My matches are always on a knife's edge there.”
Isner recorded 16 career singles titles, reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2018 and was ranked as high as No. 8 in the world. He spent 10 years ranked in the top 20 and eight years as the top-ranked American.
The 6-10 Isner’s 14,470 aces are the most in ATP history, and his top recorded serve speed was a record 157.2 mph.
Isner lamented what might have been in the finale, which was tied at 7 in the first-to-10 tiebreaker.
“It’s tough way to go out,” he said. “At the same time, I mean, I went out in front of a packed stadium, a standing ovation. Pretty cool.”
He teared up as he discussed what tennis has meant to him.
“It's been a huge part of my life,” he said. “It's tough to say good-bye. It's not easy. But eventually this day would come. It's hard to prepare for the emotions of it, but . . . most importantly, man, I have an amazing life, for sure, and look forward to every second of that going forward.”
Murray loses
Andy Murray bowed out of the Open quietly with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 loss to Grigor Dimitrov at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The three-time grand slam winner, including the 2012 U.S. Open, is 36 and not sure about his future in the sport. He has not reached a grand slam quarterfinal since 2017.
“Maybe I need to accept that these events where I had the deep runs and everything that I felt like I'm capable of, they might not be there,” he said. “It’s unbelievably challenging to play at the highest level as I am now.”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
More tennis
