John Isner says Rafael Nadal has got mental toughness "in spades", picks Novak Djokovic for toughest backhand he has faced
John Isner recently said that Rafael Nadal has got mental toughness "in spades" while also mentioning that Novak Djokovic's backhand is the toughest he has ever faced.
The American sealed his place in the last 16 of the Indian Wells Masters on Tuesday by beating 14th seed Diego Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3.
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During his post-match press conference, the 36-year-old was asked a series of lightning-round questions where he had to name the toughest players he has faced for different strokes and facets of the game.
Predictably, most of his answers included the Big 3 of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The only answer to not feature any of the trio was the toughest server he has faced; the 36-year-old picked compatriot Reilly Opelka for that honor.
"I'll go with Reilly because he was most recent, he was very tough," John Isner said.
Isner picked Federer for the toughest forehand and Djokovic for the backhand. He also chose the Serb for speed and anticipation
When asked about volleys, the American was quick to mention Nadal.
"That's a good one. Obviously I think Rafa has really good volleys," he said.
He also singled out the King of Clay when it came to mental toughness.
"Rafa. He's got that in spades," Isner added.
"Hopefully for Naomi Osaka this could be a good learning experience" - John Isner
John Isner was also asked about the latest controversy surrounding Naomi Osaka. The Japanese broke down in tears after being heckled by a spectator during her second-round match against Veronika Kudermetova.
Osaka breaks down in tears after heckler shouts 'you suck' in Indian Wells loss thesun.co.uk/sport/17932603…
While pointing out that everyone is different, Isner said that the "mega star" would have to learn to deal with such incidents and that hopefully it will be a "good learning experience" for her moving forward.
"I've had some times where I've had some people riding me on the court before. You never really know how it's going to affect us out there," he said. "Everyone's different. I'm not one to say that she should toughen up and be better out there. We're all different out there. But it is something, as you said, I don't think it's that common in tennis. It's just so easy for it to happen. You have one fan have a little bit too much beer or a little bit too much liquor, start being belligerent out there. Because it's a sport that's quiet, you hear everything."
"We'll see what comes of that. I don't know. It's easy, as I said, to say just toughen up, put it behind you. We're all different. That was certainly a tough moment for her. She's had some issues I guess in the spotlight, as she does seem to be introverted a little bit. She's just a mega star, too. She's got to balance that. All the players maybe dealt with this at some point. So hopefully for her this could be a good learning experience."
Isner also added that most people like Osaka and her brand of tennis.
"I think the one thing she does have going for her is the majority of people do like her and enjoy her tennis especially. She definitely should realize that's just one person out of a lot of, lot of people in the crowd that was just a bit belligerent that night."
After beating Schwartzman, John Isner will face Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters. The Bulgarian beat 31st seed Alexander Bublik in straight sets in the third round.
Also Check Out: Indian Wells Masters 2022 Results