Sam Querrey and John Isner now reveal why they used to ‘lose sets on purpose’ when playing doubles together

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Sam Querrey and John Isner enjoyed great success during their time on the ATP Tour.

The big-serving Americans have both produced several memorable moments over the years.

Former world number eight Isner won the Miami Open title and qualified for the last four of Wimbledon in 2018.

His countryman also achieved his best Grand Slam result at SW19, losing out in the semi-finals to Marin Cilic one year earlier.

Isner and Querrey won a combined 26 titles in singles, as they now reflect on the tactics they used to great effect when playing doubles together.

Sam Querrey and John Isner admit they used to ‘lose sets on purpose’ to play deciding set tiebreakers

During the Nothing Major podcast, Querrey and Isner discussed the tactic they used to deploy when the ATP Tour introduced ten-point match tiebreakers 15 years ago.

“There was a moment where John [Isner] and I, it was that 2009, 2010, 2011 [period], it was when doubles started playing the ten-point [deciding] tiebreaker. There was a moment where Isner and I were 15-1 or something crazy like that,” said Querrey.

“We never lost,” Isner replied.

“I remember sometimes John, we’d be playing doubles, we’d win the first set, then go down a break 2-1 in the second, and John would look at me and say ‘Do you just want to get them in a third-set buster?” said Querrey.

“We would lose it on purpose like 6-1. Give them a false sense of security, then we would just bomb away on serve and just kind of stay ahead on the scoreboard, one of these doubles guys would double fault and the next thing you know we win it 10-6,” added Isner.

“We were so good at those breakers when they first came out with them,” said Querrey.

“We were money,” agreed Isner.

Querrey and Isner were prolific in deciding set tiebreakers en route to their sole Masters 1000 title together, at the Italian Open 14 years ago.

• F – John Isner/Sam Querrey won via walkover
• SF – John Isner/Sam Querrey beat Simone Bolelli/Fabio Fognini, 6-4, 6-3
• QF – John Isner/Sam Querrey beat Lukasz Kubot/Oliver Marach, 1-6, 6-4, [12-10]
• 2R – John Isner/Sam Querrey beat Mahesh Bhupathi/Leander Paes, 6-3, 3-6, [10-5]
• 1R – John Isner/Sam Querrey beat Jamie Murray/Stan Wawrinka, 6-3, 6-4

The duo were set to face Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish in the final, but were given the title when Roddick withdrew due to injury.

Looking back at what happened one year earlier in the 2010 final, Isner and Querrey may well have felt fortunate to receive the trophy without competing for the title.

“We did in another year lose to the Bryan brothers,” said Isner.

“Sam Querrey practised for like four hours with Fed [Roger Federer], like two hours before, went 8 AM-12 PM with Fed, and we played at 2 PM.

“We got crushed.”

Isner and Querrey lost to the legendary doubles pair, 2-6, 3-6, in the 2010 Italian Open doubles final.

Did John Isner and Sam Querrey win any other doubles titles together?

The American duo competed in five ATP doubles finals, picking up two titles.

Querrey and Isner won the first of their two doubles titles together on indoor hard courts, in Memphis, Tennessee.

The duo began playing doubles with other players shortly after 2012, but continued to meet on the ATP Tour in singles.

Isner and Querrey met ten times in total, with the head-to-head remarkably finishing tied at 5-5.

They played one final time in 2022, when Isner came out on top in two tiebreakers to advance to the third round at Indian Wells.

With both players now retired from tennis, fans can still enjoy listening to them every week on their Nothing Major podcast, alongside Jack Sock and Steve Johnson.