“When I first came on tour, this tournament didn’t exist,” Isner told *The Atlanta Journal-Constitution*.
“I found out that a tournament was coming here, and I thought to myself, ‘Oh wow, this could be a cool opportunity for me to be able to get to play so close to Athens [University of Georgia, where Isner played] where I have so many friends and family. I never would have imagined I would have had this much success at this tournament. That just goes to show there’s something to be said for being comfortable and having a lot of support, which I certainly have here. This has been the best tournament of my career for sure.”
Isner admits that he slumped during the first two and half months of the season, but then won Miami and reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon.
He will face a 19-year-old Aussie, Alex de Minaur, in the second round. Isner is the top seed at the event, with Nick Kyrgios and Hyeon Chung the other top players.
“There are no easy matches. Trust me, I know that,” Isner said. “My first match is always a tough one because everyone is so good.”
