Eleventh seed, American John Isner in another five-set at Wimbledon lost to No. 73 Alejandro Falla of Colombia 6-4, 6-7 (7), 3-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5 in the first round of Wimbledon on Monday.
Falla fought off a match point and 31 aces from the 6-foot-9 Isner in coming back from two sets to one down and surprisingly won 27 of 34 points at the net.
“I didn’t put my opponent away. I had my chances, and I didn’t do it,†Isner said. “It’s all on me. Was just not great on my part.
“I had to take some time off after the French, and I was back and forth from North Carolina and Florida for family reasons. But, no, I mean, I did what I normally do. I felt fine coming into here.
“It’s just now I get out there sometimes, and lately it’s happening quite a lot, and I get out there in the match and I’m just so clouded. I just can’t seem ‑‑ I just can’t seem to figure things out. I’m my own worst enemy out there. It’s all mental for me, and it’s pretty poor on my part.â€
Isner added, “He was better than me today, and that’s what it comes down to. You know, I had chances, and I didn’t take them. So on my part, that’s my bad.
“So he deserved to win. I don’t deserve to win that match at all.â€
Isner said that the next tournament he’ll play is the Atlanta Tennis Championships.
Isner won the longest match in tennis history an 11-hour, 5-minute marathon in the first round of Wimbledon in 2010.