Oct. 23, 2007
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By Women’s Tennis Student-Athlete Taka Bertrand
Editor’s Note: Each month Commodore Nation will ask a varsity athlete to sound off on a point of personal interest. A native of Great Falls, Va., Bertrand is a senior on the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team. She was the 2006 SEC Player of the Year.
The first time I saw John Isner I was inside the players’ lounge at Stanford University’s tennis complex, getting ready to play my first round of the 2006 NCAA singles tournament. He was a foot taller than most players around him and wearing khaki shorts, a polo shirt and sunglasses. He looked more like a frat boy than the No. 1 college tennis player in the country.
Isner has since emerged as the hottest American on the ATP tour. Since turning pro last spring, he made the finals of the ATP Master Series before losing to Andy Roddick. Recently he lost to superstar Roger Federer in the U.S. Open.
Isner’s success contradicts a problem with American tennis today; too many top juniors are persuaded by United States Tennis Association funding or small endorsements to turn down college scholarships. Many of these players are not physically or mentally ready for professional tennis.
Having played tennis since the age of 10, I cannot count the number of times I’ve seen a junior pass up a scholarship to turn pro early. Sadly, most end up spending the majority of their careers in lower-level events, where prize money is modest.
Isner took a different path. His resume lacks the long list of minor events that typically mark the early years of a professional’s career. So where was he? Playing tennis in the Southeastern Conference and making a name for himself as the 6′-9″ kid with the untouchable serve.
Isner, now 22, recently completed his eligibility at Georgia. By most tennis standards he is old enough to be a veteran. But with American tennis starving for the next Pete Sampras and the USTA struggling to produce top prospects, Isner could not have arrived at a better time. His overpowering serve appeals to the younger generation, and his traditional serve and volley style reminds our seniors of what the game used to be. And like most college graduates, he seems eager to work hard at his first job.
Isner helps prove that juniors can go to college and then compete professionally. Elite collegiate conferences provide tremendous competition, especially with the growing influx of foreign players. A scholarship also offers free coaching, training and facilities. Most juniors would benefit from this environment. Vanderbilt’s Bobby Reynolds left after his junior year and still is having success on the tour. Others, like Isner, have chosen to stay four years.
But college tennis is not just about playing tennis. It’s about going off to a different place, making new friends and growing up.
Whenever I see Isner on television, I am reminded of the first time I saw him. Even if he didn’t beat Federer at the U.S. Open, he has options in his life – such as attending a Georgia football game, where he’ll feel at home in his khaki shorts, polo shirt and sunglasses.
