John Isner's Cheering Section

I've spent all weekend at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, DC, and while the rest of the world is enjoying a sleepy Summer weekend, the rest of us here may very well be witnessing the birth of the next great career in American tennis.

The story of the week has been John Isner, a wild card entry to the tournament who spent four years playing at the University of Georgia while far more celebrated talents worked their way to the ATP tour via high-priced tennis academies.

All Isner has done here in Washington is rip through the field, defeating more celebrated names like Tim Henman, Tommy Haas and finally last night, the incredibly athletic Gael Monfils. He's done it all with a booming serve unlike any on the tour today, one that his most recent victim, Monfils, last night called one of the best on the tour.Over the course of the week, the crowd has adopted Isner as their own, spurred on in part by a small knot of friends and family from his alma mater and his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina. And everytime that Isner looked like he was getting a little down, they were there to pick him up. Liz Clarke of the Washington Post explains:

Whenever his posture drooped, his family and friends shouted, "Let's go, Johnny!" and "Let's go, Georgia!" (Isner's alma mater) -- as if it were a Bulldogs home football game rather than a tennis match. Alcohol, Isner hinted later, may have played a role in their enthusiasm.

At one point during the match, the chair umpire actually cautioned Isner's little group to keep it down to a low roar. While I was sitting in Monfils' post-match press conference, photographer Allen Clark tapped me on a shoulder and handed me a note: All of Isner's friends were waiting outside the players locker room and were still whooping it up. I left to investigate:



Here's hoping Isner got some sleep last night. I'm thinking his pals didn't.