By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
Some may say Stan Wawrinka’s win over Novak Djokovic in the French Open final may be the men’s match of the 2015 season. Others may nominate Djokovic’s wins over Roger Federer in the Wimbledon or U.S. Open finals. What men’s match do you think was the best match of the year? For me, I’d like to nominate a match that likely no one else will.
How about Denis Istomin vs. Steve Johnson in the Davis Cup Playoff Round in Tashkent, Uzbekistan?
As I wrote on my Facebook page after it happened “It wasn’t Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic under the NYC lights in the US Open final, but today’s Davis Cup match between Denis Istomin and Steve Johnson in Tashkent, Uzbekistan was raw competitive theatre – a Davis Cup classic, complete with unique drama in each set of the match, both players fighting off the strong play of their opponent, the unique pressure of Davis Cup, physical ailments and overcoming lost opportunities and fighting back from the brink.”
This match stayed with me for a lot of reasons. One being I was there in person, being contracted out for media work on behalf of the U.S. Tennis Association and the International Tennis Federation, and I have an amazing love of Davis Cup, the most unpredictable forum for tennis. The match was played from 1 am to about 4:30 am eastern time in the USA on Tennis Channel, so it was not broadcast to a wide audience so perhaps we can label this match “The best match of 2015 that almost nobody saw.”
Let’s first set the stage a bit. The USA lost in the first round of the competition to Great Britain and was drawn to travel to Uzbekistan for the first time ever for its Playoff Round in a match that would determine if the U.S. would qualify for the elite 16-team Davis Cup World Group in 2016 and be eligible to win the Cup. The United States, the greatest nation in the history of the competition, has only been relegated once into zonal play – the nether rounds of Davis Cup – so there was a lot of national tennis pride at stake.
Uzbekistan was a rigorous trip – a nine-hour time difference from New York, where the U.S. team was flying in from at the end of the U.S. Open – with 14 hours of flight time (without a direct flight and long layovers in connecting cities). Uzbekistan is a land that not many Americans know about. It is an ancient land where Genghis Khan once ruled and Marco Polo once traveled. It is part of the ancient “Silk Road” of trade between the West and East. It is a former Soviet Republic and a Muslim country located just 400 miles from Afghanistan, not the most friendly environments these days for Americans. There were concerns about travel, security, food and the U.S. contingent were also advised to take Hepatitis A shots in advance of the trip. With that, the top American singles player and doubles team – John Isner and the Bryan Brothers – decided against making the trip – Isner choosing to rest up in a push to try and make the year-end ATP World Tour Finals and Bob Bryan awaiting the imminent birth of this third child. Instead Captain Jim Courier selected rookies Johnson and Jack Sock along with Sam Querrey and Donald Young. (see the Davis Cup draw ceremony here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnOQ6aY-n9I
There is a lot of uncertainty in Davis Cup – you see players rise to the occasion of playing for their country or fall under extra pressure it creates. You just don’t know how a player will react. You can throw rankings out the window. There was a lot of curiosity to see how Johnson and Sock would react to the Davis Cup pressure, being thrown in this cauldron for the first time. Johnson, the U.S. No. 2 player with an ATP ranking of No. 47, was drawn to face Istomin, the Uzbek No. 1 (ranked No. 62) in the opening rubber. Being the first match off in a series a rookie is a tough ask, especially playing against a seasoned Davis Cup veteran on his home court in front of his home crowd. The funny thing about this home crowd, however, was that it comprised almost entirely of school kids – about 2,000 of them all dressed in white tops and dark pants or blouses, sitting uniformly. There were posters all over Tashkent promoting the matches – and there was no price of admission – but there still was a challenge to get a crowd this this match, for whatever reason. So, bring in the students – which was an excellent idea that more sports teams should do here in the USA – to be seat fillers. (Watch the warm-up for the match here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GryEV9wzWhM)
It’s always fascinating to watch how players respond to making their Davis Cup debuts and Johnson’s play and reaction was worth paying close attention against Istomin, playing in his 60th career Davis Cup rubber. Courier, who is regarded as one of the greatest U.S. Davis Cup players ever, lost to lowly Luis Herrera of Mexico in his 1991 Davis Cup debut in Mexico City. Later that year, Pete Sampras failed famously in losing both of his live singles matches against Henri Leconte (ranked No. 159 at the time) and Guy Forget in the Davis Cup Final in Lyon, France.
It appeared that the Davis Cup pressure was too tough for Johnson to adjust to at the start as he managed to win only eight points against Istomin in losing the first set 6-1 in just 17 minutes. Istomin showed his experience and home-court swagger at the start of the match, breaking Johnson in the American’s first service game.
While it would not have been surprising to see Johnson go down in flames, meekly falling in straight sets and lap up his Davis Cup baptism, he remained determined and fought with all the fortitude within him. He began to settle down in the second set, showing more consistency, dictating points more with his powerful forehand and mixing in net attacks and drop shots. As Johnson’s form improved, Istomin’s high level of play from the first set dipped, missing the mark more off the ground. After holding for 4-3 in the second set, Johnson connected on two rocket forehands and benefitted from two unforced errors from Istomin to break serve. After showing some nerves by serving two double faults to fall down 15-30, Johnson fell down double-break point, but crawled back to deuce with another rocket forehand and an off-the-back foot backhand passing shot. Four points later, on his second set point opportunity, he drew even with a delicate forehand drop-shot winner, punctuated with a yell of “C’mon” to U.S. Captain Jim Courier. Johnson tied up the match at one set apiece.
Each player held serve six times in the third set, Johnson not able to convert on a double-break point opportunity at 15-40 at 5-5. Johnson won four points in a row to take a 4-2 lead in the third-set tie-breaker, but Istomin took advantage of two errors from Johnson and took the third set with winners on three of the last four points of the tiebreaker.
In the fourth set, Johnson blinked while serving at 5-5, netting a forehand volley on break point. He violently smashed his racket in disgust, knowing that he likely had just lost the match. Serving for the match at 6-5 in the next game, Istomin quickly jumped to 30-0 – two points from victory – but then froze. After missing a backhand volley, Istomin made consecutive nervy forehand errors wide and into the net and then double-faulted on break-point to force the fourth-set tie-breaker. Davis Cup jitters can also work both ways – and the pressure of closing out a significant win against the big, bad United States in front of the home crowd also seemed to creep into Istomin’s mind. Johnson still had vital signs. Istomin’s forehand continued to fail him in the tie-breaker, missing five of them in 10 points, and the re-energized Johnson forced the decisive fifth set with the 7-3 tie-breaker win. Just 15 minutes after smashing his racket, seemingly resigned to a loss, Johnson was now alive about to start a fifth-set. The unpredictability of Davis Cup was rearing its head.
Johnson rode his momentum and broke the tiring and jilted Istomin to take a 2-1 lead in the fifth set, but surrendered the break right back the very next game. Johnson then broke again to take a 3-2 lead. Leading 40-30 – a point from a 4-2 lead, Johnson awkwardly missed a forehand long and exclaimed “Not now” as he began to show signs of cramping. Istomin seized on Johnson’s compromised condition and broke back for 3-3. Going more for broke off his forehand side, Johnson then registered the fifth straight service break to take a 4-3 lead. Each point provided extra drama due to Johnson’s physical state. Could he hang on and win or would be crumble in pain and cramps at any moment?
Johnson incredibly fought out of a 0-40 hole in the eighth game of the final set, saving four break points in all, and held for 5-3. Johnson was on the cusp of an incredible victory in his Davis Cup debut, after winning just eight points in a 17-minute first set and just over 45 minutes after he smashed his racquet in disgust after seemingly losing the match after losing serve to give Istomin a chance to close out the match on his serve.
Johnson was two points from the match in the next game, hitting two forehand winners – one off a let-cord – reaching 15-30. Istomin, however, showed his resiliency and then served an ace and benefitted from two missed backhand returns from Johnson to hold for 5-4, forcing Johnson to serve for the match. Johnson took a quick 30-0 lead and was two points from the match for a second straight game.
“That’s the funny thing about tennis,” Johnson said later. “An hour before I was 5-4 30-0, he was up 6-5, 30-0. I found a way to get back. That’s tennis. It comes down to a matter of points here or there.”
Johnson then hit an unforced forehand long, a double-fault and made an unforced error on a backhand slice, giving Istomin his break point chance at 5-4, 30-40 that culminated in controversial fashion. After a short rally, Johnson believed Istomin’s cross court backhand to be wide and stopped play. Chair umpire Emmanuel Joseph of Spain, who had made several overrules throughout the match, got out of his chair and inspected the mark. He determined the ball to be good – to the shock of Johnson – giving Istomin the break and drawing the final set even at 5-5. It was a bit of a roll of the dice for Johnson to stop play and challenge the call, but he was justified in doing so several other times during the match. But it was a critical point in the match. It was another quirky moment in this frenzied piece of Davis Cup drama.
Istomin then easily held serve the next game for 6-5 and after Johnson led 30-0 in his next service game, the Uzbek star won five of the next six points to close out the electrifying and topsy-turvy 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 7-5 win.
“This one stings,” said Johnson tersely after the match. “I’m not going to lie. It’s a tough lesson to learn. I left it all out there on the court. Hopefully, if I get another chance. I will get another chance to reverse that result.”
“I don’t think I did anything wrong,” Johnson continued. “I was lucky to get into a fifth set. It’s a tough lesson to learn but credit to him, he played well in the end. He played well at the end to break back a couple of times (in the fifth set) and sometimes you have to say ‘Too good.’”
“It was an incredible match and an incredible fight from both sides,” said Istomin. “It was up and down, both players fought hard.”
“It could have gone Uzbekistan’s way in the fourth set it could have gone the USA’s way in the fifth,” said U.S. Captain Jim Courier. “There were a lot of twists and turns in that match and credit obviously to Denis and his captain for sticking in there when he could have easily put the flippers on and gone way.”
With the U.S. down 0-1, Sock was next up where he tried to keep the U.S. from an near insurmountable 0-2 hole against Farrukh Dustov. After a tough first set, he drew the U.S. even with a 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 victory. Johnson gained his redemption the next day in doubles with Querrey, defeating Istomin and Dustov 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Sock then clinched the 3-1 win with a sometimes close 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Istomin.
Steve Johnson may never play another Davis Cup singles match. Representing the United States, the greatest tennis nation in the world, in Davis Cup just might be his career highlight when he stops playing professional tennis. He did learn some lessons from the loss and used them to reach his first ATP singles final in Vienna a month later. Denis Istomin has won an ATP singles title and played in two fourth-round matches at Grand Slams, but winning a dramatic match in your home town in the biggest Davis Cup match in your nation’s history is a hallmark achievement, despite your team eventually losing. This is part of why I want to call this my men’s match of the year for 2015.
