"Congrats on a great run, see you on the other side" - Andy Roddick sends heartfelt message to John Isner after 38-year-old announces retirement
Andy Roddick recently congratulated John Isner on his stellar career and wished the soon-to-be retiring player all the best ahead of the 2023 US Open.
Isner has had a successful career since making his professional debut way back in 2007. The six-foot-ten-inch American has won 16 titles on the ATP tour and holds the record for the most aces in professional tennis (14,411).
Roddick took to X (formerly Twitter) to wish his compatriot ahead of his final tournament and had some advice for him as well.
"Love ya big guy. Give ‘em hell next week. Don’t forget to take all of the looks around. Congrats on a great run. See you on the other side," Roddick tweeted.
Isner will be up against Argentina's Facundo Diaz Acosta in the first round of the US Open.
How Andy Roddick helped John Isner win the longest match in tennis history
John Isner holds another record, that of being involved in the longest match in tennis history.
The iconic showdown happened during the 2010 Wimbledon Championships when Isner took on France's Nicolas Mahut in the first round. The match began at 6:13 p.m. British time. With the score tied at two sets apiece, play was suspended at 9:07 p.m. due to fading light.
After resuming at 2:05 p.m. the following day, the record for the longest match was broken at 5:45 p.m. At 59 games all in the fifth set, play was again suspended at 9:09 p.m. Isner finally won the marathon encounter after 11 hours and five minutes, played across three days. The final score read 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68
Following the end of play on the second day of the match, Andy Roddick, who was a master of playing long matches, had some practical advice for Isner.
"Make sure John eats. When he wakes up at 3 a.m., make sure he eats. Just have him eat, eat, eat," Roddick told Isner's coach Craig Boynton.