In the last-ever Atlanta Open Champions Challenge, it seemed only fitting that the tournament’s most successful player would participate.
John Isner came out of retirement to play one final match at the Atlanta Open — a doubles exhibition match with Andy Roddick against Bob and Mike Bryan on Monday night. The Bryan brothers won 7-6, 7-5, and secured bragging rights. With Isner’s participation, he can now claim the honor of having played in every Atlanta Open since the tournament began in 2010.
“That’s pretty cool for me to be able to say,” Isner said. “Since 2010, I haven’t missed it.”
GET MORE LOCAL SPORTS NEWS: Subscribe to Sideline, a weekly newsletter about sports. Click here.
Roddick was contemplative after the match, remarking that all of the men had special memories related to the tournament.
“It’s bittersweet,” Roddick said. “We all have good memories here. I got a wild card here when I was 17, [the brothers] got a wildcard here when they were 17. [Isner] has to use more than one hand to count the times he’s won, so it’s bittersweet. I’ve been hopefully saying that hopefully [it’s a] see you later and not a goodbye.”
If it is indeed goodbye for the Atlanta Open, the men certainly put on a good fight for the packed stands at Atlantic Station. The first set went to a tiebreak after Isner and Roddick had traded leads all evening with the Bryan brothers. Ultimately, the Bryan brothers pulled out the win despite getting aced repeatedly by Isner with six points to their opponents’ four.
In the second set, the match got a little silly. During the fourth game of the second set, with Isner and Roddick down two games to one, Roddick went off with a “shoulder injury.” Isner handed a racket to a ballboy, who was up to serve. The ballboy did well, earning the nickname “American Alcaraz” from the umpire, and Roddick and Isner ultimately won the set, tying the score.
“It was necessary!” Isner joked. “[Roddick] was leaking oil at that stage. And the kid looked like he could play, and lo and behold, he was good.”
Despite the ballboy’s help, Roddick and Isner still lost in two sets, which is annoying for two highly competitive athletes, even in an exhibition match with little on the line. But Isner and Roddick are used to exhibition matches, and they still found something to play for.
“You get on the court even though you’re not really playing for anything besides pride,” Isner said. “You find yourself still wanting to win. And I have a horrendous record against these two and it just got worse tonight, but Andy and I just weren’t good enough.”