When we talk about the American legend, John Isner and the Wimbledon Championships the first thing that strikes our mind is his 11 hour 5 minutes battle against Nicolas Mahut in 2010. The next thing that may pop up in our minds is his incredible run to the semis in 2018. However, amid all these memorable days, there have been days we’ve seen this tennis legend struggling on the lush green grass of the iconic tennis court. Remember the moment from the 2021 Wimbledon Championships when we saw John Isner crawling away in pain after suffering a nasty fall during his first-round match against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka? 

We saw his downfall in that match, but his former coach, Craig Boynton, saw an enormous display of mental resilience that outshined his physical struggles. The 6ft 10 inches tall, John Isner suffered a tumble on the court that time while trying to step forward towards the net to hit a volley. His left foot slid away from his body and it resulted in him landing hard on his right leg. He collapsed on the court and was seen having some intense pain as he dragged his legs along the court before taking a breather. However, later on, fans were surprised to see him reassuring the umpire that he was fine to continue.

Although John Isner lost that thrilling five-setter, his mental resilience drew appreciation from many tennis bigwigs. Recently while revealing the player with the strongest tennis mind on the ‘Nothing Major’ podcast, Craig Boynton highlighted that incident. He said, “Well, I’d tell you that the most impressive thing that I’ve ever seen on a tennis court was John’s second day at the Wimbledon. What he went through, I mean it was so painful to watch, The only way I can describe it is, you’re in hell and you just pull up a chair and you sit down there and you just wait until… John didn’t budge, he didn’t tap out. Actually felt the worst for his mom, having to watch it. It was brutal to sit through that and see what John went through and how he just stayed on the court. It was actually one of the greatest things from the competitive standpoint that I’ve ever seen.”

Craig Boynton was John Isner’s first coach. The 60-year-old American coach had worked with him from 2009 to 2012 and he played a crucial role in laying up what stepping stones in a 16-year-long career. During his tenure as the coach, he helped Isner reach his first Grand Slam QF, an ATP Masters 100 final, and also helped him make it into the Top 10 for the first time in his career. What do both these renowned personalities have to say about their partnership?

John Isner’s former coach calls him the “most stubborn”

Craig Boynton has worked with the likes of several superstars of the game including Jim Courier, Mardy Fish, John Isner, and even Hubert Hurkacz, but who among them was the most stubborn? While speaking of the same in the same podcast, Boynton said, “Oh that way John for sure, But here’s the thing, it wasn’t all his fault! When John and I started we were really close, we were so alike in a lot of ways and I as coach was maybe a little bit aggressive. Maybe in terms of getting my point. So, we were so competitive with each other that John wanted to in some way prove me wrong.” 

Boynton revealed that John Isner wanted to do things his way, and perhaps that’s why he looked a bit more stubborn than everyone else that he has coached in his career. However, Craig Boynton’s jovial attitude and holistic coaching approach, which balances who the player is both on and off the court, was beneficial for Isner. According to a previous interview, John Isner claimed, “He (Boynton) can adapt with the player for sure. He was so instrumental in my success, getting me from outside the Top 100 to the Top 20, where I never left for a long time. I started working with CB and made my jump to the top tier of the game. For me in particular, he would know when to push me and when to scale back.“

Isner also spoke about his former coach’s incredible work ethic and his ability to make practice a fun activity. Even for Craig Boynton, it was quite fascinating to see Isner develop his game day by day, but why did they split in 2012? According to John Isner’s claim from that time, “I just felt like it was time for a different voice.” Later on, Isner hired Monica Seles’ former coach Michael Sell for the 2023 season. Share your thoughts on the contributions Craig Boynton had in John Isner’s career.