"The right way to go": John Isner to play final event of career at US Open

WATCH: Isner in TC original series, "Daily Pro"

Sixteen years after making his US Open debut, John Isner will close his chapter as a professional tennis player when he makes his 17th consecutive appearance at Flushing Meadows.

The 38-year-old announced Wednesday on his social media that the upcoming New York major will be his final tournament.

“There comes a time in every athlete's career that they have to decide to hang it up. For me, that time is now. I didn't come at this decision lightly, but I feel it is the right way to go,” Isner wrote on Instagram. “When I left the University of Georgia in 2007, there was no way I could have imagined playing 17 years on the ATP Tour.”

As a wild card at the 2007 US Open, Isner followed up a breakout final run in Washington, D.C. by reaching the third round on his Grand Slam debut. He ousted No. 26 seed Jarkko Nieminen in his opener and later won a first-set tiebreaker over three-time defending champion Roger Federer before falling to the top seed. Two years later in Queens, he edged out Andy Roddick in a decisive tie-break to reach the second week of a major for the first time.

A native of Greensboro, N.C., Isner achieved global recognition when he outlasted Nicolas Mahut, 6–4, 3–6, 6–7 (7), 7–6 3), 70–68, to win an unprecedented 11-hour, 5-minute match at Wimbledon that required three days to complete. In 2012, he finished as the year-end No. 1 American for the first of eight occasions over a nine-year stretch.

While his home major is his most successful in terms of winning percentage (67%), Isner's connection to Wimbledon is equally compelling. His best showing at a Grand Slam event came in 2018 at the All England Club, when he advanced to the semifinals—coming out on the losing end of another marathon when Kevin Anderson eclipsed him, 26-24, in a dramatic deciding set. That result propelled him to a career-high No. 8. At The Championships last year, Isner upstaged Andy Murray in the second round, then surpassed Ivo Karlovic for the most aces in ATP history since the stat was first tracked in 1991 during his eventual third-round defeat to Jannik Sinner.

Isner heads into his farewell tournament with a 488-316 tour-level record, a 504-332 mark in tie-breaks, and 16 singles titles to his name. His biggest success came at the 2018 Miami Open when he beat three Top 10 players for his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown. He also raised eight doubles trophies, including five on the 1000 stage.

“Of course, there are countless matches I wish I could have back, but I am proud of what I was able to accomplish,” said Isner. “The journey was nothing short of incredible.”

Currently ranked No. 158, Isner was one of eight men to receive a main-draw wild card into this year’s US Open. He’s 8-13 on the season.