Kiwi trio revel in legendary company
Isner serves notice there’s much more to his game
It is remarkable to think that, come Monday morning (NZT), Kylian Mbappe, who only turns 24 next Tuesday, could have already twice won the biggest prize in football, which would ensure that it forever eludes the greatest player of all time, Lionel Messi.
Added to the momentous backdrop of the World Cup final is the fact that Mbappe and Messi are, of course, team-mates at Qatariowned Paris Saint-Germain. Whoever wins and whoever loses at Lusail Stadium, there could be ramifications for their club careers.
The futures of Messi and Mbappe are yet to be decided. Neither will go anywhere before the summer, but both have made it clear that they want to see how their countries fare in the World Cup and how PSG’s latest attempt to win the Champions League play out before deciding whether they will stay.
It means there is much at stake,
If next month’s ASB Classic is the final time John Isner gets to play in Auckland, those who’ve yet to witness the 37-year-old first hand should be advised to get along to see perhaps the greatest server there’s ever been in person before he hangs up his racket.
Isner, who is one of only three players ever to win an ATP tournament without facing a break point, told Stuff recently he’s not sure if next year will be his final one on the circuit.
If that does turn out to be the case, the Classic will lose one of its most loyal players.
Isner’s maiden ATP title was in Auckland in 2010 and he also lifted the trophy at Stanley Street in 2014.
While his two titles at the Classic don’t compare to the six times he’s won the ATP tournament in Atlanta, or the four occasions he’s triumphed in Newport, Auckland is a special place. But why has it been such a good tournament for him?
‘‘It’s hard to say. I like the
Three of New Zealand’s greatest footballers are turning back the clock in the Fifa Legends Cup in Qatar and taking on some of their greatest rivals from days gone by.
Former All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen teamed up with Ivan Vicelich and former Football Ferns skipper Maia Jackman as part of the East Tigers invitational team to take on a who’s who from World Cup history.
‘‘It’s amazing to see what was standing on that pitch during the opening ceremony,’’ said Nelsen.
‘‘Just imagine what all those players were worth in their prime. That must have been in the billions.’’
Nelsen and Vicelich were scanning around to see who they could recognise and could not resist grabbing a selfie with former Netherlands star Clarence Seedorf.
‘‘Good excuse to practise my Dutch, it was definitely rusty,’’ said Vicelich who enjoyed seven seasons in the Netherlands.
The New Zealanders were not alone trying to grab a selfie, with some of the greatest names of world football taking as many photos as possible with other legends.
while PSG also have the sensitive task of managing the reintegration of the two superstars – and their third, Neymar, whose World Cup ended in bitter disappointment in atmosphere there,’’ Isner said.
‘‘I like the surface, I really enjoy the Centre Court, it’s pretty quaint as far as centre courts go and I think that’s a good thing for me.
‘‘Players can’t go 30 feet back behind the baseline to try to return my serves.’’
Isner has served more aces than anyone else on the ATP Tour with 13,990, so should reach the 14,000-mark at some point during the first set of his opening match in Auckland.
That should be the first landmark of what Isner hopes is a good year for him, after a 2022 season where for the first time since 2009 he failed to finish the year ranked inside the world’s top 25.
‘‘I was pretty pleased,’’ Isner said of this year. ‘‘I only played 15 or so tournaments. At this stage I don’t need to play 25 tournaments.
‘‘But I had some ailments that caused me to miss some, which was unfortunate, but apart from that I think I played well and was happy.
‘‘Of course, it’s not maybe up to my usual standard and I’ve been in the top 20 for a long time, but I do believe that even at 37 I can get back
Despite having Australian Tim Cahill and France World Cup winner Christian Karembeu in their team, along with several Asian stars, Nelsen had an inkling that his side may be a bit undercooked.
‘‘We might be in trouble here,’’ said Nelsen, looking at the lineups of some the opposition. ‘‘Some of these guys are still playing or have just quit.’’
That was particularly visible when US World Cup winner Heather O’Reilly was a bit too slippery for the
Brazil’s quarterfinal against Croatia – when the club’s next Ligue 1 fixture comes around on December 28, at home to Strasbourg.
The sight of Mbappe wearing
Cantabrian, and he also got turned by Senegal international Demba Ba.
The legends of the game may have lost a bit of hair and put on some weight, but the competitive juices were still flowing abundantly. As matches progressed, the tackles got crunchier, while desperate lunges and arguments with the referee increased.
Just like their heyday in the Football Ferns and All Whites when playing against stronger opposition, Jackman and Nelsen regularly had to
another winner’s medal at the Parc des Princes will cut to the core of Messi. Similarly, should Messi be triumphant, it will hurt Mbappe, who is rightly regarded as the best put their bodies on the line with lastditch blocks. ‘‘And why does every ball have to hit me in the gut,’’ asked Nelsen, rubbing his midriff after a painful loss to the Arab Stars.
Vicelich stood out for the East Tigers with a new goal-scoring touch, bagging a hatful of goals in the highscoring group games.
Vicelich’s goals were not enough to avoid a second, narrow defeat to Alexi Lalas’ North American Bears, before the Kiwis finally restored some pride with a 10-7 win over an African Lions squad that included a plethora of legendary World Cup players including Ba, Michael Essien, El Hadji Diouff and Yakubu.
‘‘We knew it was going to be competitive, but we were not going to lose that last one,’’ said Jackman who was unceremoniously smashed by Cameroon star Geremi when she was about to score late in the game.
‘‘And I had even given him a massage, just before the game. So much for gratitude,’’ laughed Jackman who is a physiotherapist. ‘‘And as a professional I can tell you that there will be lot of sore bodies tomorrow morning.’’
player in the world at present and whose ambition burns brightly.
There is no lasting animosity between the two players. They are not friends in the way that Mbappe to that level and it’s something I want to try to do.’’
A highlight of the year for Isner was beating Andy Murray 6-4 7-6 6-7 6-4 in the second round at Wimbledon. While Murray may not be the force he once was, going up against him in front of a packed, parochial crowd on Centre Court is no easy feat.
But Isner came out on top, winning by not only putting down the big serves, but by confidently putting away Murray’s returns to avoid long rallies, which is a critical and unrecognised part of Isner’s game.
‘‘The match I played at Wimbledon was really the blueprint to how I should play every match,’’ Isner said. ‘‘Unfortunately, it’s a lot easier said than done. So in that match against Andy on Centre Court, he’s one of the best players ever and is really tough on that court.
‘‘So that made my job pretty simple, in the sense that I knew what I had to do to go out and beat him and with any other style of play I wouldn’t win.
‘‘I definitely try to play like that as much as I can, because that gives me the best chance for success.’’
Isner has only won one ATP Masters 1000 title, in Miami in 2018, while in his four other appearances in Masters finals he lost to Roger Federer (twice), Rafael Nadal and Murray.
Overall, when playing the big three, Isner has two wins and 10 losses against Novak Djokovic, he’s 2-8 against Federer and 1-8 versus Nadal.
Had he played in any other era, Isner would have won a lot more titles, but rather than be bitter, he feels it was an honour to play through such an incredible chapter in men’s tennis.
‘‘It really was an honour to play in that era, knowing that at every big tournament I went to, the goal was to play one of those guys,’’ he said. ‘‘Anytime you did square off against one of those guys, you know it was going to be on Centre Court and in front of a massive crowd. Those are moments I won’t ever forget.’’