John Isner names his worst ever doubles partner and says it was an ‘awful experience’ playing with him

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John Isner recalls an experience playing doubles with a partner he described as the worst of his career.

The American spent 16 years on the ATP Tour and while possessing one of the biggest serves in the game’s history, he was always a huge threat against every player.

During his career Isner, 39, won 16 singles titles, was ranked inside the top 10 and reached the 2018 Wimbledon semi-finals.

But John Isner also played some doubles during his career, and played with several partners in the process, with varying degrees of success.

John Isner says Ivo Karlovic was his worst doubles partner ever

Isner won eight doubles titles during the course of his long tennis career.

He won championships with the likes of his compatriots and fellow ‘Nothing Major’ podcast hosts, Sam Querrey and Jack Sock.

At Grand Slams Isner’s best doubles result was a quarter-final appearance at the 2009 Australian Open alongside another American, Mardy Fish.

But the year prior, Isner entered the men’s doubles event at Melbourne Park with his fellow big server Ivo Karlovic, and he did not have many nice things to say about their partnership.

“Ivo Karlovic. I don’t know how it came about. It was awful. It was an awful experience,” Isner told his ‘Nothing Major’ podcast hosts. “The Australian Open, 2008 I am guessing.

“Can you imagine how bad the returns were? I can’t remember who we were playing or the score, I think we lost in straight sets. They weren’t like great players.”

How did John Isner and Ivo Karlovic do at the 2008 Australian Open?

At the 2008 Australian Open Isner and Karlovic took on the Argentine pair of Juan Pablo Brzezicki and Agustín Calleri.

Their stay in the tournament was short-lived as the big-serving duo lost 6-7, 3-6 and were dumped out of the tournament in the first round. “We lost in the first round. It was awful. I just wanted off the court,” former World number eight Isner added.

“He wasn’t speaking English that well, it was a terrible, awful experience. Never again. And I am not blaming him. It was brutal for him to play with me too.”

Despite the unsuccessful campaign Down Under, at the time Isner and Karlovic expressed their desire to play alongside one another again, but at a different Grand Slam such as Wimbledon, that would be better suited to their big serves.

“It was a lot of fun,” Karlovic said. “We will win together next time.” Isner added: “I thought of it again some time around December and got in touch with (Karlovic). It [Wimbledon] would probably be a better surface for us, so hopefully.”

Despite the comments made by the pair at the time, according to Isner’s podcast comments 17 years later, it is perhaps not a surprise that the pair never teamed up again for the rest of their respective careers.