After 17 years on the professional tennis circuit, former Georgia tennis star John Isner plans to call it a career.
The four-time All-American with the Bulldogs from 2004-07 announced Wednesday he will retire after the US Open, which starts next week.
The big-serving Isner, 38, led Georgia to the 2007 NCAA championship and won 16 ATP titles.
Isner is currently ranked No. 158 worldwide and is 8-13 this year.
With a career-high ranking of No. 8 in 2018, he has the most career aces at 14,411, according to the ATP website.
Isner announced his impending retirement on Instagram on Aug. 23, writing that his last professional appearance will be at the US Open, which begins on Aug. 28 in Queens, New York.
“There comes a time in every athlete’s career that they have to decide to hang it up, for me, that time is now,” Isner posted to his 205,000 Instagram followers in a carousel of four screenshots.
“I didn’t come at this decision lightly, but I feel it is the right way to go,” he continued. “When I left the University of Georgia in 2007, there was no way I could have imagined playing 17 years on the ATP Tour. Of course, there are countless matches I wish I could have back, but I am proud of what I was able to accomplish. The journey was nothing short of incredible.”
Isner was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and attended the University of Georgia on a tennis scholarship. After graduating from the university, he entered the professional tennis circuit in 2007.
“One of the best decisions I ever made was attending the University of Georgia,” the 38-year-old continued in his Instagram post. “My 4 years in Athens were absolutely amazing. To Coach Manny Diaz, thank you for always believing in me and instilling a work ethic that served me well as a pro.”
Isner thanked his mother for driving him “all over the South in our van to play tennis tournaments” when he was a boy and his father for “waking up every morning before the sun to provide those opportunities.”
Isner also lovingly called out his wife, jewelry designer Madison McKinley Isner, for raising their four young children, all under five, with a “smile on your face no matter how chaotic it is.”
As Isner bids farewell to professional tennis, he expresses his anticipation for the transition ahead and the excitement of spending more time with his supportive family, including his wife Maddie and their four young children.
His career boasts 16 ATP singles titles, eight doubles titles, and a significant role in the US Davis Cup, contributing 15 singles victories and two doubles victories in 18 appearances.
He achieved most of his ATP singles victories on American soil, and he also clinched notable titles, such as the 2018 Miami Masters, and numerous wins in Atlanta and Newport.
Next week’s US Open will mark the final time Isner plays in a professional tennis tournament, and he wrote that he “can’t think of a better way to go out than competing in New York City.”
