‘Really Enjoy Playing On Clay’ – John Isner Makes an Unexpected Revelation After a Hard-Fought Victory at French Open 2022

American tennis star John Isner is one of the most experienced active tennis players on the Roland Garros 2022. The 37-year-Old has been around for over thirteen years now. However, the former world number 8 is still looking for his first grand slam. And made a winning start to his campaign at this year’s French Open. Isner defeated Quentin Halys 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (6) in three hours and 20 minutes. Although it was a thrilling match that could have gone either way, the American held his nerves and crossed the line.

In the post-match press conference, Isner spoke about his preparation and the conditions on court. He also spoke about his preferred surface.

More Comfortable on Clay Than I Am on Grass

Speaking about the match conditions, Isner stressed on the role of overcast conditions with occasional sunshine. Terming it as the best condition for big servers like him. Notably, Isner is known for his fast serves, and breaking his serve is one of the hardest tasks on the tennis court.

“I like the conditions and today, maybe they weren’t exactly how I liked them. It’s a bit overcast but the sun poked its head out eventually and I think it’s a great condition for big servers myself.” He said. Further, speaking about his favorite surface, the 37-year-old revealed that clay is his favorite, closely followed by the grass court. “So I really enjoy playing on clay. I’m actually more comfortable on clay than I am on grass.” He added.

Having a look at his playing style, the former world number 8 is someone who doesn’t depend on his movement and foot speed.

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Rather, he depends on his quick service and is not very good at breaking the serve from the opponent. Given his playing style, the clay court provides him more time to position himself and stabilize his groundstrokes.

John Isner vs Nicolas Mahut; The Longest Tennis Match

In one of the historic matches at Wimbledon 2010, John Isner clashed with Nicolas Mahut in the first-round match that lasted for 665 minutes. The match spread out over 3 days, which saw Isner winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68.

Back then, the tie-breaker rule was not in play, and to win a Grand Slam match, any player needed to win two more games than his opponent, with a minimum of six games to be won. (except for the US Open).

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However, with the current rule of playing, a tiebreaker to decide the final set, the record, is almost impossible to be broken.