John Isner talks LONGEST TENNIS MATCH EVER

[@Rory626]

The man who singlehandedly ruined Grand Slam fifth sets for the rest of time 😅

[@michaeladkins6]

All of the slams have the same rules for fifth set tie breakers. Thats a good thing.

[@Rory626]

@@michaeladkins6 I disagree. I preferred Wimbledon and Roland Garros when there were no 5th set tiebreakers

[@therealkolluri]

@@Rory626 I think the 12-12 tie breaker was a great happy medium, still allowing epic finals to happen. The current system took that' away too. I guess it will work out in the long run when we don't have memory of these finals.

[@ReaperThugX]

@@Rory626and Aussie. It was just US

[@10smirya]

I just don’t get this opinion. I mean to each their own. But who wants to watch a 5th set with dozens of games? If this is happening, it’s most likely serve bots who can’t break or be broken. Boring. Sure you have the outliers like that were entertaining, but few and far between

[@Thrilla4romManila]

Very nice of Andy to deliver food to John in the locker room... true friend.

[@emjay2045]

Yup. But where was his coach & agent ??? Counting his money he just made…💀

[@therealkolluri]

I remember Mahut being frustrated at the end of it and not interested to take the picture next to the scoreboard of this "unreal" match. Wimbledon tried to make it special by giving everyone plaques. It would be cool to hear his perspective as well. Great to see Isner and great job, Andy on the interview!

[@Roadrunnerz45]

yeah and who wouldn't blame him? in the moment. i think he has sat down with john himself for an interview later on but no doubt would be as tired as isner for talking about it.

[@eloisuinot2874]

he said that he was so exhausted that he completely blacked out and forgot everything about the ceremony after the match

[@moneymanifestationtips]

Isner is going to be 70 and still wearing a backward cap

[@pugsondrugs6556]

🤣

[@Deonus]

whos gonna stop him, no one can reach him from up there 🤣

[@toothlesstitan]

Old dogs can't learn new tricks 😂 I still wear my hat backwards cuz I look stupid with it regular.

[@kevinbroderick3128]

I'm LMAO with your comment!!!

[@sandersson2813]

​@@toothlesstitanHow do you think you look with it on backwards?

[@Stuckinachair2wheels]

I watch that Isner Mahut match in full every morning to pump myself up !

[@brendandennis5868]

Wow that must be a tight edit!

[@davebudge4526]

Isner and Roddick's joke at 13.25 about Mahut's hair not moving since 1996 is so true and so funny.

[@katehamilton7240]

How great is it to hear this inside info about such an iconic match. I was furious watching it, shouting me need an equivalent of a soccer ⚽️ penalty shoot out

[@1blindcommissioner]

AMAZING Conversation ! Andy can take the conversation to details and a level no tennis journalist can even dream of...

[@GameSetMatch_Yash2005]

Out of context but can you please make a podcast for kids who want to become professional, what all things are required and will be needed in future, do and don'ts and any valuable advice you have. Love your channel

[@virtualyme7659]

That was great hearing him talk about the match with you. I remember watching that match again and then coming back and realizing it was still going on and on and on. Everyone was in a state of disbelief but yet so invigorated at the spectacle. GG to both men who played. I'm old and I definitely don't slide on hard court and I still play with gut mains and lux crosses. And yes I use power pads and string savers 😁 I went to Mason for many years and watched it grow and become a much nicer event from my fans perspective. I wish I could be there this year to catch you guys live. Unfortunately my girlfriend has had some major health problems the last couple of years and has kept me away from tennis and traveling. I do hope that you will be around next year so I might have a chance to see you then. I really enjoyed your podcast and it's great to hear from you after your time away from the game. ☮️💜

[@ianrobinson4200]

Congrats Mahut & Isner on having a tennis record that will stand for all time, that match was insane no one cared what the big 3 or Murray were doing that round, all eyes were on that match

[@laurahuertas1967]

Great interview !!

[@murgatroidsp]

Great conversation. I’m not surprised at all that it’s not a good memory for John, I remember watching it live and thinking it looked miserable for the players. I didn’t remember they also played the next year. Loved John’s story about how they requested to play on a different court.

[@GiDaOne]

Great interview excerpt, loved it. I always wondered about how the other people on the court handled this, i.e. the umpire, ball kids, camera people, etc.

[@Kenzie_Hill]

Seeded 20-something is incredible. I love matching your matches! ❤❤❤ Thanks for sharing this experience

[@shanecurtis8062]

Craziest match, I also recall Roddick vs Aynaoui at the Aus Open in 03 had a crazy 5th set

[@beeholtzclaw7935]

Enjoyed this interview guys!! I remember I watched this match from the beginning !! I always watched as many US players the 1st week. For me it was a nail biter !

[@kjtarr1788]

You did not watch the entire match.

[@michaeladkins6]

I hope you started out with long nails.

[@Stuckinachair2wheels]

Fun fact - the ball boys passed puberty during that match

[@paulelverstone8677]

I remember that I was travelling in India at the time of the match, due home in the next couple of days. Unbelievably it was still going on 3 days later when I landed at Heathrow. I made it to Wimbledon just a couple of short hours after it finished. But any day at Wimbledon is a great day anyway... :o)

[@The_Great_One]

Quite amazing that every Isner and Mahut match all came on grass.

[@Roadrunnerz45]

amazing given there are hardly any tournaments on grass.

[@RonnieJamesOsbourne]

21:49 From my memory, the first player I remember sliding on hardcourt was; "Paradorn Srichapan" in the early to mid 2000's... Who also had INSANE flexibility (more than Novak) (Watch his Mercedes shots of the day on KZbin) The first women I remember sliding on hard shortly after was; Kim Clijsters. I think it became more popular; (players/that gen implementing it into their game) in the 2010's.

[@The_Great_One]

Goran was sliding on Hard-courts

[@trevorpullen3199]

I think flexibility is the key. You have to get really low to the ground to be able to slide on hard court, otherwise you're front foot will just dig in and stop.

[@tnuyx9405]

@@trevorpullen3199not necessarily, your weight just can’t be on your front foot. Watch how fritz slides, he’s got no flexibility at all

[@trevorpullen3199]

@@tnuyx9405 Good point. When I think of great sliders, I think Djokovic, Sinner and Alcaraz. All super flexible. You're right about Fritz though. Sliding on hard courts is still bonkers to me. I can't imagine trying it (I'm 37). Feels like I'd shatter my ankle or knees.

[@tijgertjekonijnwordopgegeten]

​​​@@trevorpullen3199Once you do it once or twice, sliding on hardcourt is surprisingly easy, but you need to be young (or have very strong ankles) and you need to get over the hump of being scared because if you go in half heartedly you'll definitely bust your ankle. I have even seen some 4.5 players slide on hardcourt, but they're all in their 20's.

[@ellenday2155]

That match has to be one of the most insane moments in sporting history. I remember no one gave a crap what Federer or Nadal were doing, they just wanted to see if anyone was going to win that one first-round match! Imagine how they felt as well when they were drawn against each other in the first round again the next year 😂

[@markschaeffer-n9l]

wimbledon court 18 has 792 seating capacity

[@jeffdupree7585]

Andy never played on court 18…subtle flex with the 3000 estimate

[@dbe11050]

It’s interesting to hear Andy talk about what a “dumpster fire“ modern Davis cup is (I agree with this by the way), and a few minutes later talk about his admiration for events that “innovate “, as this is precisely what they tried to do with it a few years ago. This deserves its entire own episode. I would love to hear Andy‘s take on Davis cup (how it started, where it lost its audience, and where it’s at now).

[@sokirish]

I was an actual spectator on court 18 for that match and remember how hot the weather was. I joined the match on the third day for about two hours and remember how bored I was! The two guys couldn't break each other's service and it was just game after game of two or three shot rallies. Felt like cricket rather than tennis!! Neither guy willing to give an inch no matter what! Competition at its absolute purest! 🙂

[@SaiChooMusic]

You should talk about Isner's other long match in Wimbledon next time

[@mtns7036]

Court 18. 782 seats!

[@tennisCharlzz]

@ServedPodcast I thought John Isner was a relatively good looking guy, yet, he seemed to want to bury his face during his playing days (still does, it seems). John always wore a cap. He'd stare down and not look at the audience. It's like he wanted to keep a low profile. I'm surprised his agents didn't tell him to not wear the cap. As much as Isner was known as a serve-bot, he showed a lot of mental toughness. It's hard to win matches when you hardly break serve and have to rely on winning tiebreaks, but he did it time and again. One amazing Isner achievement happened on clay when he became the first player to push Rafa to 5 sets at Roland Garros. He held mentally together more than his buddy Sam Querrey who had mental ups and downs. Querrey did eventually have his moments at Wimbledon as well. And, oh yes, Andy forgot to mention the Isner-Anderson Wimbledon semi that eventually convinced the Slams to introduce tiebreaks in the 5th.

[@Leejungwoo48]

Hey Roddick you keep mentioning about being amazing movers like Alcaraz winning. Couldn't a Wawrinka or a Thiem still come in and blast people away? He doesn't necessarily move the best, but he can just stand around and dictate.

[@matteotagliabue852]

best podcast of all time

[@stephencole3846]

When I think a great early slider on tour, you have to include Kim C!

[@rogerreverence4737]

Legend says that isner sleeps and showers with his cap and never takes it off.

[@kimkristensen83]

I do remember Goran Ivanisevic sliding on hard courts. Perhaps other's as well. But yeah, it was certainly not as common back in the 90's.

[@joniroake4426]

When & where can I watch the Andy/Bryan brown exo?

[@zambrana95]

Sigue jugando John Isner su partido en wimbledon.😊

[@maxjones-gardiner4924]

Very nice

[@sabbilar7638]

Straight sets for my fellow Brit today

[@TanNguyen510]

I remember watching that match with my dad and going to school and my dad said damn that match still going lol

[@wheelmanstan]

what a match, the heart, such a BATTLE...while watching it I was so angry with them basically forcing such a match to happen, it is..well it's destructive to a body

[@waldemarmarmar3552]

I love how Isner still wears a hat the other way around even when participating in a podcast

[@Roadrunnerz45]

4:55 - john you went on at 2:05pm - your memory was accurate :)

[@Stuckinachair2wheels]

Fun fact - the fifth set lasted longer than the next longest match of all time !

[@alialmurtada]

Quick suggestion podcast team: I work for an org that has a podcast and we offer to overnight guests decent microphones (with return labels included) when they have bad built in mics or AirPods mics that just don’t work well with a good quality podcast. I suggest doing this for guests going forward. Isner audio is almost unlistenable here.

[@jill9206]

Fully agree with this. A decent mic or recorder overnighted would be great

[@arylesaci4142]

Kim klijsters is the first slider ✌️

[@al1976-v7m]

The Isner vs. Mahut match was crazy. You could see that "it sucked" for John, he looked so miserable as the match wore on. Understandable with the amount of weight he has to carry around. Mahut in contrast looked so positive throughout and would have deserved to win, but they were both winners & both losers in the end. Both winners because of their valiant effort, both losers because there was no way to get through the next match.

[@toothlesstitan]

Producer Mike is so 🔥 just saying.

[@michaelt8682]

the capacity of court 18 is 782

[@mohammadjabbar3074]

Hewitt was a nightmare to these tall guys.

[@bandana9977]

love isner, one of favourite players/people. Great interview

[@cucciolo_gelido]

These two in their prime💀💀

[@jj7546]

Isner should be cohost

[@fk9400]

man bring federer plz

[@rodgerscott358]

Rafa started the slide on hard court trend.

[@badabing8884]

Thank god we will never have another match like that.

[@toothlesstitan]

Andy's face is looking smooth and tight. ✂️ 🤔

[@rickc661]

I thought at the time this was kinda cool but can't someone make 3 good plays in a row ? on the other hand ... couple days ago watched a WTA final , in Italy. - Zheng v Muchova and geese, k. muchova had trouble making 120 km hr serves. that's 120 KM not mph.... I know She had wrist surgery , hope it's going OK.

[@fabricehaubois2442]

13 min before Mahut’s name is mentioned… shameful guys

[@tijgertjekonijnwordopgegeten]

He's interviewing Isner not Mahut.

[@andyroo9381]

John Isner is so handsome.

[@tobiasgoldman]

Andy's doing way too much talking here. I want to hear what Isner has to say, he's the one who played the match for crying out loud!

[@brendandennis5868]

I'm a Hewitt fan and think he's annoying.

[@DominicDirupo]

Zero aces in round 2

[@everything.anything]

I would even argue that Rafa brought the athleticism to the game. There was a before and after Rafa in tennis. Djokovic went after Rafa and surpassed him in terms of athleticism and fighting spirit. Then the new generation kind of copied this new way of playing. I am not saying that previous generation were not athletic, but Rafa put it at a completely new level. I'm not talking about Roger because I don't think he brought something new to the table. He just did what previous generation were doing to perfection.

[@daniellydford6142]

Borg was the player that brought athleticism to the sport of tennis, and Nadal just continued, and expanded on that tradition. Federer's biggest contribution to tennis defence was the forehand squash shot.

[@soheiladam7510]

What a stupid comment, why Rafa fans are so dense.

[@soheiladam7510]

That's the most mor0nic comment ever, not a surprise coming from a Rafa fangirl.

[@soheiladam7510]

​@@daniellydford6142no one brought athleticism to Tennis, it was always a part of the sport, it just happened that some players were stronger in some part of their athleticism than others and elevated those parts to new heights. Those non-tennis fans who like grunting slugger players have no shame saying that Federer had added nothing to the sport while in fact he added more than the whole players in the Tennis history combined.

[@gastheweebs]

🐀👶​@@soheiladam7510

[@reedsparks]

It's such a bummer that Isner's a Republican because he's lightened up in recent years.

[@asreb9]

Maybe look past people's political standings?

[@RunandLift2]

Oh no, what a crime. A different view

[@0nFoot]

I think there should be a maximum height for tennis players. Or make it just one serve. Now wouldn't that be nice

[@Mauruud]

No, height also makes them slower. Mabye making it Harder for them to break serves

[@0nFoot]

@@Mauruud One serve?

[@Mauruud]

@@0nFootheight does not mean good tecnique tough. Im 174 and my buddy is 198 ish and i carried our service games in doubles. His serve is not bad, but his height dident hjelp him that much

[@Mamushi]

Not sure what you're trying to achieve by doing this. How many big serve only or players over 6 foot 6 have won grand slams in the last 25 years?

[@0nFoot]

@@Mauruud One serve instead of two?

[@kjtarr1788]

How did they arrive at the decision to have this producer be a part of the podcast. I find him to be a very strange choice. His lack of tennis knowledge is insulting. The questions that he asks guests are without fail stupid and while he asks them he rambles incessantly. His attitude is one of arrogance. I find him to be without question the worst thing about the podcast. Roddick is quite likable despite his snarky and arrogant attitude. This producer is flat out unlikable.

[@jj7546]

Wow you finally got a good guest. Literally this is the first good guest.

[@lucasthompson7458]

Please no more bigots on the show

[@cregenda]

What’s the context?

[@jj7546]

Go outside. You’re mentally ill and need sunlight

[@machineofadream]

I strongly disagreed with some of his views in the past, but has he done anything to warrant him being cancelled if he's just going to come on and talk tennis for a while?

[@cregenda]

@@machineofadream what views?

[@Rory626]

@@cregenda I think he's referring to Isner's support for Trump in the past

[@zuziiiiiiiiii]

why do u have racists as guests

[@Tony-m4b]

Stop lying.

[@cregenda]

Context?

[@seaneckhart9914]

So what? Being racist a sign of intelligence

[@0nFoot]

@@seaneckhart9914 Sounds like you're a genius

[@bigpoz5604]

Educate me? Didnt know he was a raceist