The American giant John Isner (2.08m) ended his career on Thursday following a defeat in the second round of the US Open tennis tournament against his compatriot Michael Mmoh (N.89), 3- 6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 7-6 (10/7). The 38-year-old Greensboro (North Carolina) native had already announced that the US Open would be the last tournament of his long career (17th year on the main circuit).
True to his reputation, Isner (N.157) finished with a last marathon, 3:57 long, and a last decisive game, he who played a lot. Ex-8th in the world and double quarter-finalist at Flushing Meadows, the American is particularly known for having won against the French Nicolas Mahut in 2010 on the lawn of Wimbledon, the longest match in the history of tennis. The two men had taken eleven hours and five minutes to decide 70-68 in the fifth and final set. “It’s hard,” reacted Isner, tears in his eyes, after his defeat, to a standing ovation from the spectators. “It’s to be able to play in front of audiences like that that I’ve worked as hard as I could all my life. It is truly exceptional.”
Known for his determination, Isner found himself stronger than him on Thursday, Mmoh coming back from two sets to zero and even saving two match points in the last decisive game, in the fifth set. Faced with a rain of aces from Isner (48), the former world number two in the juniors hung on, seizing the few rare opportunities offered to him by his opponent’s lead service. Among the last representatives of a generation of large servers (Karlovic, Anderson, Querrey), Isner is, by far, the record holder for the number of aces on the ATP circuit (14,411 or nearly 19 per match on average) .
Mmoh sought to play in speed and acceleration, to create gaps against a player whose size and age are obstacles to movement. In the third round, Mmoh will face Briton Jack Draper (N.123), who defeated Polish seed Hubert Hurkacz (N.17) in the second round.
