"I still like to compete, it keeps me going" - John Isner on being the oldest player in the Top 100
ATP
John Isner will begin another year on the ATP Tour at the ASB Classic in Auckland as the big-serving American looks to continue playing tennis for a while.
Many people wondered if Isner's career would end last year, but for the time being, he is eager to carry on. He is the oldest player in the top 100 (with an ATP Ranking of 42 at age 37), yet he takes pride in that fact since he recognizes his good fortune that allowed him to be that.
"I am still feeling pretty good," admitted the American. "I know I am in the twilight of my career and a lot of players my age aren't playing anymore, so I think I'm very fortunate to still be playing. I think I'm the oldest player in the Top 100, which is actually something I'm very proud of."
Like many other tennis players, Isner still feels the need to compete as he enjoys it. As he explained, it 'keeps him going' which is important. He doesn't enjoy all parts of it as he singled out practices as the boring part of it.
"I still like to compete, it keeps me going," Isner added. "I'd be lying to you if I told you I love all the work that goes in. Sometimes practice can get pretty monotonous, but I do love the training and off court I am just trying to get myself in a good spot to compete with players much younger than I am. You can't play tennis forever, so I want to try to make this last as long as possible. I am ready to achieve some really cool things this year."
As most years, Isner arrived down under with his family and it's something he enjoys. He remembered a time when he was alone and it was less fun that it is now.
"I really enjoying having them here," he said. "It makes the losses easier because it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Ten years ago, when I was 27 years old and without a family, without a wife, the losses kind of hurt more."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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