John Isner announced earlier this week that he will skip the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, instead focusing his efforts on what is always his most productive time of year–the American hard-court swing.
Ranked No. 1 among the United States’ contingent of men, Isner clearly would have been the country’s best hope for a medal in men’s singles. He played the London Olympics in 2012 and advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual silver medalist Roger Federer 6-4, 7-6(5) on the grass courts of the All-England Club.
This time around, however, the Olympic event is not offering ATP ranking points. In 2012, the champion (Andy Murray) got 750 ranking points–putting the tournament right in between a 500 and a Masters 1000. For his quarterfinal efforts, Isner earned 135 points. Having never finished a season in the top 10, the rankings are of utmost importance to Isner–who currently registers at No. 16 in the world. He came within one set of finishing in the top 10 in 2015 but lost to David Ferrer in three sets in the Paris quarterfinals.
Isner’s summer will begin with the Davis Cup quarterfinals (July 15-17), the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. (July 18-24), the Rogers Cup in Toronto (July 25-31), and the BB&T Atlanta Open (Aug. 1-7). The Greensboro, N.C. native is the defending runner-up in Washington, D.C. and the three-time defending champion in Atlanta. He can become the only active American man to win the same tournament four straight times.
“It’s a decision I didn’t take lightly,” Isner told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “Logistically, it would be pretty much impossible for me to do both (the BB&AT Atlanta Open and the Olympics.
“There’s always a little bit of pressure,” he added. “Anytime you do well at an event you want to come back to duplicate that success again. Every year, I’ve played well. So, there’s a bit of pressure. It’s a tournament that I’m super comfortable at. It’s a tournament I do expect to do well in, and I’m looking forward to it.”
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