“It’s basically Rafa v Novak,” John Isner compares his All American clash to Nadal and Djokovic’s rivalry
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John Isner, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
Reilly Opelka, an American tennis player, defeated Nick Kyrgios in a dramatic semi-final encounter at the ATP Houston yesterday. The big-serving American had a flawless match with no major blunders. In the meantime, John Isner, another big-serving American, reached the final of the same competition. On that note, they had a nice little banter on social media before their final matchup on Sunday.
“We don’t need a fast court to hold serve”- John Isner
The 6ft 8 inches and 6ft 9 inches giants have quipped that their ATP Houston final is equivalent to a match between Grand Slam heavyweights Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Opelka joked on Twitter, tagging Isner, “Every tennis purist’s dream clay-court final.” The American quote-tweeted his countryman, joking: “It’s basically Rafa v Novak.”
“When guys like Reilly and I lock horns, it’s going to be tiebreakers. Clay is a good surface for guys like Reilly and I,” the World No 27 John Isner said. “Our serve is good anywhere. In my opinion, we don’t need a fast court to hold serve. And both of us maybe prefer a little bit of a slower court, to get into points and give ourselves time to wind up for shots. Faster courts make that a lot tougher,” he added shortly.
Fans could expect a serve and volley filled contest
Earlier in the tournament, Opelka defeated Australian superstar Nick Kyrgios in the semi-finals. Opelka held his nerve to serve out the match in style after a tense second set; the final score was 6-3,7-5. John Isner, on the other hand, maintained his cool throughout the competition. He advanced to the final by defeating Frances Tiafoe and Cristian Garin in the preliminary rounds. Nevertheless, fans can expect a serve and volley duel today since both players have excellent serve.
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Pritha Ghosh
(414 Articles Published)