hen Vitas Gerulaitis beat Jimmy Connors on the year-end tour championships in 1979, he famously stated: “And let that be a lesson to you all… no one beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 instances in a row!”
Previous to that, Connors had been his fellow American’s bogey participant. It’s unlikely John Isner’s shedding file to Andy Murray will ever get to that extent, however his file is performed eight, misplaced eight, going into their second-round match at Wimbledon this night.
However 6ft 10in Isner isn’t alone among the many recreation’s tall males in terms of going through the Briton. When Ivo Karlovic, an inch taller, retired from skilled tennis final yr, he did so having misplaced all seven of his matches in opposition to the Scot.
One other newer retiree, Kevin Anderson (6ft 8in), fared marginally higher, with a 6-2 shedding margin, whereas the tallest man on tour, Reilly Opelka (6ft 11in) has performed Murray as soon as — earlier this yr — and misplaced.
An important thinker of the sport, Murray was at a loss, nevertheless, to clarify fairly why he has a capability to make the giants of the sport really feel small on courtroom. He stated merely: “For no matter purpose, I’ve at all times performed properly in opposition to them. The match-ups have been good for me.”
Andy Murray | Wimbledon 2022
For Opelka and his fellow large males, it has additionally led to some head-scratching.
Talking at Wimbledon’s Aorangi Park apply courts, Opelka stated: “I feel if you happen to had been to dissect his head-to-head kind in opposition to most gamers exterior the very high gamers, I feel you’ll discover he’s received a reasonably good file, however there’s clearly one thing there in opposition to the massive guys.
“The factor is, he’s an amazing returner of the ball. He at all times appears to discover a solution to get the ball again in, and that reduces the benefit of the serve.”
A relative minnow compared to Opelka and Co, Michael Stich was among the many taller gamers in tennis’s high order, at 6ft 4in, when he received Wimbledon in 1991.
Explaining the explanation behind Murray’s success, the German stated: “He’s an excellent returner, clearly, and these guys aren’t so constant from the baseline.
“The tall guys might be good on the baseline, however it’s not the primary a part of their recreation, so as soon as he will get the ball again in play, that’s one thing Andy can use to his benefit due to his stability behind the courtroom. That’s one of many primary explanation why he has an excellent file in opposition to these guys.
“The opposite side is frustration. The large server of our time was Goran Ivanisevic and I felt the extra returns you might get again, the extra irritating, as a result of they’re used to getting quite a lot of free factors on their serve.
“And in opposition to the actually large guys, typically the standard of the return isn’t that essential, it’s typically nearly getting it over the web to get into the rally. The extra rallies you get into, the extra choices you’ve gotten, the extra errors you possibly can power. And these guys aren’t at all times the smoothest movers in rallies.”
An off-shoot of such a plan of action, argues Stich, is that the tall gamers then get caught into the entice of taking part in to Murray’s game-plan as a substitute.
Andy Murray has by no means misplaced in eight profession conferences in opposition to towering American John Isner
/ AFP by way of Getty Pictures“They’re not keen to interrupt Andy’s rhythm,” he stated. “That’s what you must do in opposition to a man like Andy, not play his recreation. [It’s the] similar with Nadal. You need to alter your recreation. Clearly, you possibly can solely alter your recreation to a sure level whereas not shedding your energy.”
Stich’s nemesis was Andre Agassi, one other nice returner, and he by no means beat him in six encounters. That shedding file received in his head, a thought he discovered arduous to shake off, one thing Isner will undoubtedly have on Centre Courtroom.
“It’s simply there are some gamers the place your recreation doesn’t appear to suit,” he stated.
Opelka, in distinction, argues he has no challenge with a shedding streak, be it in opposition to Murray or some other participant. “If I discover I’ve a foul file in opposition to a participant, I don’t thoughts that,” he stated. “It virtually permits me to throw much more at it. So, I don’t know if he’s received in different gamers’ heads.”
Isner will be capable to present that large reply right this moment.
