"It was awful": John Isner reveals name of worst doubles partner

Former American tennis player John Isner has identified his worst doubles partner. The 39-year-old retired from professional tennis in 2023 after playing at the highest level for more than a decade.

Isner has recently spoken in the Nothing Major podcast where he named his worst doubles partner. “Ivo Karlovic,” he said when asked to name his worst doubles partner. “I don’t know how it came about. It was awful. It was an awful experience. The Australian Open, 2008, I am guessing. Can you imagine how bad the returns were? I can’t remember who we were playing or the score, I think we lost in straight sets. They weren’t like great players. We lost in the first round. It was awful. I just wanted off the court. He wasn’t speaking English that well, it was a terrible, awful experience. Never again. And I am not blaming him. It was brutal for him to play with me too.”

That statement is in complete contrast to how the players reacted at that time. “It was a lot of fun,” Karlovic said back then. “We will win together next time,” said Isner. The North Carolina-born star finished his career with 16 titles to his name. His first title was the ASB Classic in 2010, where he defeated France’s Arnaud Clement in the final with a score of 6-3, 5-7, 7-6.

His last title came in 2021 in Atlant, where he defeated fellow American Brandon Nakashima in the final in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 7-5. Out of his 16 titles, six of them came while playing in Atlanta. He also lifted the title in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018. Despite his success in ATP events, Isner could not win a single Grand Slam title. His best performance in a major event came in 2018 at Wimbledon, where he lost in the semifinal to South Africa’s Kevin Anderson with a score of 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 26-24.