By Blair Henley
It seems like only yesterday that tennis fans and pundits were predicting dark days for American men’s tennis. With Andy Roddick aging and James Blake and Mardy Fish sitting well outside of the top 50, the USTA found itself in desperate need of a rising star or two.
Well, they got what they were looking for, or more accurately, a gift was left on the doorstep of American tennis’ governing body. While all eyes were set on Donald Young’s progress, a Californian named Sam Querrey entered the picture. After a successful junior career, he passed up a full scholarship from the University of Southern California to turn pro in 2006. Only a year later, fellow American John Isner made his professional debut after playing four years of college tennis at the University of Georgia.
Fast forward a few years.
Today, Isner and Querrey are ranked No. 19 and 22 respectively and find themselves second (and third) in line for the American tennis throne currently occupied by someone they have both beaten in the past year: Andy Roddick. In fact, it was the voluntary withdrawal of Roddick and James Blake from Davis Cup consideration this year that opened the door for Isner and Querrey to participate.
Though the U.S. fell to Serbia 3-2 in March, the presence of two new faces on the team (Querrey also competed last year) has prompted headlines announcing a changing of the guard.
So who exactly are these guys?
First off, they’re friends. Isner has said that they text daily. They are also doubles partners and took their first title together this February in Memphis. At that same tournament, they played each other for the first time on tour in the singles final, with Querrey defeating Isner in a tough three setter.
That was the first of three times they have played this year. Isner got some revenge in the third round of Indian Wells, only to be taken down again by Querrey in the clay final of the Serbia Open a week ago.
It just so happens that those two final matchups were the tallest in ATP Tour history. Isner stands 6’9” and Querrey is just inches shorter at 6’6.” Not surprisingly, they rely heavily on the strength of their serves, but both men have also made fitness a priority which has improved their baseline games. The two have been working to further develop their net games as well, which will be a key tool if they hope to crack the Top 10.
At the rate they are going, such a feat doesn’t seem out of the question. Querrey was the first man ever to win a Challenger level event in his professional debut, and Isner went from a ranking of 839 to 107 in his first six months on tour. Since then they have shown themselves willing to make adjustments, which has aided their steady climb. The similarities don’t end there.
Both Querrey and Isner bounced back from health issues in 2009. Isner’s battle with mononucleosis kept him out of the French Open and Wimbledon, while Querrey fell through a glass table in Bangkok. Twenty-five stitches later, he narrowly avoided permanent damage to his right arm. Both men have inked endorsement deals with Olympus – the only tennis players to do so. And, in case anyone was wondering, they are also single.
The biggest difference between Isner and Querrey (clearly there aren’t many) is their path to the pros. Isner, who just turned 25, is close to three years older than Querrey, and admits that he didn’t have professional aspirations out of high school because he “wasn’t good enough.” Unlike Jimmy Connors (UCLA) or John McEnroe (Stanford) who left college after only one year, Isner used all four years of eligibility at Georgia to strengthen and develop his steadily improving game. In addition to getting his degree in Speech Communication, he left with a NCAA team title and he holds the school record for wins in both singles and doubles.
Querrey admits he had a difficult time making the decision to forego college tennis, but unlike Isner, he had to consider his significant international success as a junior. Both men seem to have made the right choice.
Isner made it to second week of the last two Grand Slams, but look for Querrey to use the confidence gained in his two tour wins this year to show some Grand Slam success of his own (let’s hope he quickly gets over this week’s embarrassing loss to No. 315 in the world, Daniel Munoz-De La Nava, in Madrid). After reaching the final in Serbia, the duo has shown that victory on clay is not out of the question, and their opponents at Roland Garros would be wise to respect that.
Both John Isner and Sam Querrey have experienced lulls in their progress over the past three years, but have rebounded quickly, showing they can handle the expectations of a nation. No doubt the two Americans have room to improve, but they are heading in the right direction.