Isner wants next ‘family’ Classic to be extra special

The 37-year-old American tells David Long he plans to show his family all that Auckland has to offer when he potentially plays the ASB Classic for the final time in January.

Two-time ASB Classic winner John Isner had no hesitation in deciding to come back to Auckland for January’s tournament, for what could be the last time.

The 37-year-old big-serving American told Stuff at this year’s Wimbledon that he was keen on making his 10th appearance in Auckland this summer and, true to his word, he has committed to return to the Classic.

However, this time he wanted to make it different, so will be heading to New Zealand with his wife and three children so that they can all have a memorable experience.

‘‘I’ve always enjoyed playing in Auckland and it was a pretty straightforward decision,’’ Isner told Stuff last week.

‘‘My schedule nowadays is a bit different. I’m not so keen on playing two weeks in a row before the Australian Open, but of course you want to play something.

‘‘I’ve always enjoyed my time in Auckland and my family is going to travel with me, my kids and everything.

‘‘This is going to be a time they’re going to look back at in a couple of years and really remember.

‘‘So I thought since the city is so cool and beautiful, it would be a good choice for me to play there for a lot of reasons.’’

Isner is keen to see some of the sights in Auckland with his family, while also acknowledging that his first priority is the tennis.

‘‘We’re definitely keen to get there a little bit early, so our flight will land January 5 or 6, he said, with the men’s Classic beginning on January 9.

‘‘I’m obviously there to work and try to do well, and it’s a tournament I’ve done well at before. It was the first tournament I ever won (2010).

‘‘As a professional player, you certainly remember your first tournament win and I have great memories of there, but we will take in the town as much as we can.’’

At Isner’s age he’s trying to enjoy however long he’s got as a professional player. He has won 16 titles over his career and earned $34.8 million. There’s nothing left for him to prove in tennis. He has one of the most fearsome serves of anyone who has ever played the game and, while he’s still ambitious, he knows there are other things in life, which is why he’s looking to balance his remaining time in the sport with his family.

‘‘It is something you try to do at this stage,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s not so much about the tennis. Prior to getting married and having kids, you focus solely on the tennis.

‘‘Of course I still am, but you want to make memories as well. You don’t want to go to a tournament with family and then realise you didn’t do anything fun with them, so that’s definitely a goal for us.’’

Will 2023 be Isner’s last year on the circuit? He doesn’t know yet. He wants to see how it goes and any decision will be based on how well he’s playing.

But if he does pull the plug, the ASB Classic will farewell a player whose commitment to playing at the tournament can only be matched by the likes of David Ferrer and Dominik Hrbaty since the start of the millennium.

‘‘There have been some thoughts about that,’’ he said of retirement at the end of 2023. ‘‘I haven’t made that decision concrete yet, but a lot of it will depend on how I’m playing. If I stink, then yes, it probably will be my last year, but I don’t think I will. If my body is holding up, I’m playing well and enjoying my time playing professional tennis with my family, there’s no reason to stop.

‘‘We’ll see what the future holds. It could be next year, it could be the year after, I’m not sure yet.’’