With his 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-3 win over Feliciano Lopez in the semifinals of Houston yesterday, John Isner has officially risen to the top of US tennis and will be the #1 ranked American as of Monday. The hype machine surrounding Isner is in full swing, with everyone from Patrick McEnroe to Taylor Dent claiming that he will be a threat at the upcoming French Open. And who can blame them for getting excited about John’s recent hot streak? There has not been a lot to cheer about lately in American tennis. Sure, it was great to see Mardy Fish in the top ten, but you never really felt that he was a threat against the top four. No doubt he has a solid game, but he never had not enough belief to back it up.
Isner not only says that he believes that he can beat anyone, but we certainly have seen him do it with wins over Federer, Djokovic, and Tsonga. And he seems to be relishing in the spotlight. But…part of the fun of being an Isner fan is that you could see the potential top player, but no one else really believed that he had enough talent to challenge the big boys. Frankly, all the hype is kind of taking the fun out of it all. It’s like when your favorite indie band blows up and everyone suddenly “discovers” them. Where were they last year?!
I suppose it is inevitable that everyone wants to be a part of the next big thing. But while everyone else may proclaim Isner to be the Topdog in US tennis, he will always be an Underdog to me.
(Picture via Getty Images)
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