Congrats to Isner, a great match and a great tournament so far

IW continues to deliver more quality matches. Isner v. Novak was one of the tightest and tensest 3 set matches I have seen in a while. Isner played immense delivering 20 aces and numerous unreturnables. But it was more than the serve that won it for him, he got to the net whenever possible, ran around the forehand, and attacked the second serve with varying success at any opportunity. Novak was incredulous at how many times Isner hit the lines and the depth of his shots. While disappointed that Novak didn't win, I am happy for Isner it is clear that he has worked to add to his game. Smart decision to play doubles it has certainly been reflected by how well Isner is volleying, also he hit his backhand up the line a few times really well. He is now in the top ten, has his first win against a number one ranked player, and his first masters final. All big accomplishments.

For Novak's part he has not been playing his best tennis since AO. It is tough to swallow to lose your serve one time in 3 sets and still lose. And on top of that to lose both tiebreakers by just one minibreak. Still I think Novak was much more tentative from the ground and didn't seem to feel comfortable going for it off the ground. You could tell that Novak was off with his strokes because he really wasn't passing well and had to overrely on the lob, which really isn't a good play against a guy 6'9.

Interestingly, with Federer playing so well the last few months the race for number one is becoming a three man affair.

Hopefully, Isner will continue to play well as I think the game is well served by having a top player from the states. It is still the biggest market and having a quality American champion is important financially for the sport. Although the sport has done fine over the last few years without it, it is a nice thing to have from the marketing aspect.

Great display by Isner.

'You could tell that Novak was off with his strokes because he really wasn't passing well and had to overrely on the lob, which really isn't a good play against a guy 6'9.'
He's not looked at his best for a while now, Djokovic.

That is true amritia, he won AO not looking his best. I think he will come around, I think that he will find away to get that fluidity in attack from the baseline back. He has till the french open, that is the next truely big tournament for him.

Well I thought of starting a thread to discuss the courage and hardwork of Johnny Bravo, for a guy who has a physical limitations is doing amazingly well.
Its time to learn from Johny Bravo regarding his work ethics.

Now he is proving to be a real force, would love to see him in top 5.

A massive win for John Isner - surely the best of his career to date. However, the test will come in the coming weeks, months and years. Can he replicate this form again on a regular basis and at Slams? I hope so as I like his attitude and temperament. Whether he can break into the top five I am not so sure but best of luck to him as it is nice to see a fresh face in a major final.

Craig and invisible, I think top 5 is a bridge too far for John. But I think he should finish top 8 this year. When Isner plays well he can really apply pressure to his opposition and you could see it in Novak today. He was just tense and was never comfortable playing Isner. I think he played isner a bit too conservative. When you play Isner there is a tendency to hold on too tight and to try to hit down the middle play cross court and safe. Why? Because if you go for too much and maybe make a couple of errors giving up a break all of sudden you are out of the set and maybe the match.

Congrats the guy really does deserve it. I am not happy about his win. But hell that is sports.