Like countrymen Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey, John Isner has had his moments this season, none more memorable than the War of 70-68 at Wimbledon. Considering that no American man sniffed a Grand Slam singles title this year, and none are currently in the ATP Top 10, there's been a surprising amount of positives for U.S. fans to hang their hats on.
But we can't neglect to mention the negatives.
In the past five days, Isner had two chances to put the spotlight back on his enormous frame. He collided with Novak Djokovic in the Beijing semis, then met Roger Federer in the second round of Shanghai. Both matches ended badly for the big man. After uncharacteristically losing a tiebreaker against Djokovic, Isner wilted in the second set, losing it 6-2. Against Federer, who's been idle since the U.S. Open, Isner could only muster seven games, falling 6-3, 6-4. The American quartet is now 2-9 against Djokovic, Federer and Rafael Nadal this season—Roddick, who retired today with a thigh injury, has the only wins.
For his first match in over a month, Federer was handed a tricky assignment. But Roger's return of serve—a highly underrated part of his game—was stellar. Isner hit only seven aces in the match, just two more than Federer. For his part, Federer served efficiently and never faced a break point. He also broke out the between-the-legs shot, winning a seemingly lost point (via Isner error).
As Federer claimed the match, it marked not only a successful tour return, but a possible statement from the elite echelon. Nadal and Djokovic also won difficult openers in straight sets, beating Stanislas Wawrinka and Ivan Ljubicic, respectively. And Andy Murray and Robin Soderling, the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, also advanced in two. It's early, but Shanghai could be shaping up as something special.
—Ed McGrogan