John Isner's 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory in the first round of the Davis Cup on Friday over Roger Federer is a big deal. And not just for himself, but also for American tennis.
World No. 17 Isner showed a lot of grit in the fifth game of the 4th set by rallying from 0-40 to hold serve. He followed that up by winning the final three games to close out the match over World No. 3 Federer. It was Federer's first Davis Cup singles loss in eight years, in front of a stunned Swiss crowd no less, and Isner rightfully admitted the match was "biggest win of my career thus far."
While the U.S. still has a ways to go to close out Switzerland in their first round Davis Cup match-up, especially when combined with Mardy Fish's earlier come-from-behind 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 9-7 victory over Stanislas Wawrinka, Isner provides American tennis with a much needed jolt of good news in this early part of 2012. (When asked last week whether or not the Big Four's reign in pro tennis was good for the sport, Pete Sampras pithily and unfortunately correctly responded, "Not in America.")
I wrote the following about Isner in an article last September: "For me, he is the American man with the best potential to win a Grand Slam in 2012." His victory over Federer demonstrates he does have both the mental and physical tools, if he can put it all together at the right times.
Maybe I'm putting the proverbial cart before the horse in a couple different respects. In terms of the Davis Cup, as Federer noted, Switzerland isn't finished just yet. "We still have a chance to go through. I'm going to enjoy the challenge."
And secondly, it's just one match for Isner. His victory may very well prove yet another tantalizing-but-ultimately-disappointing taste of what the 6'9" 26-year-old is capable of achieving. However, as I also noted back in September: "The question for Isner is whether he has enough of a game outside of his big serve to find consistent success against the top-tier elite of men's tennis."
For this match to have lasting meaning, it can't just be a fluke. It needs to be a starting point for a sustained run of success against the best in tennis by Isner. Let's see if he can do that.
Go, big John, go.
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