“He’s the GOAT,” John Isner once said of Roger Federer, with whom he played ten times and won twice during his career. Per Isner, his experience of facing Federer has always been “the coolest,” and perhaps a little different from playing other players. However, deep in the archives of their Davis Cup encounters, lies a tale of adaptability and a dash of mischief that occurred during their matchup in Federer’s home country in 2012!

A few years ago, while talking about his matchups with Roger Federer, Isner confessed, “..when you see your name on the schedule you know you are going to be on the big court which will be absolutely packed.” However, his experience with Federer during their Davis Cup match in Fribourg, Switzerland, was far from ideal, with freezing temperatures on an indoor court!

During the podcast Nothing Major’s September 14th episode, when the discussion shifted to the best Davis Cup experience, John Isner dived in to share his unforgettable win over Federer by 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2! Recalling those moments, the 39-year-old shared an anecdote from the match, adding how they managed to play on a “bad” court that was full of “potholes.” Further, he confessed, “And the worse the court, the better for me. And Roger was hating it.”

Isner struggled in the initial parts of the match, but in his words, a major turning point came when, “it bounced and took like a 90 degree, like, right turn on, on, Roger. He missed the forehand because the court was so bad.” Adding further, Isner said, “I break-won the set end up winning the match. But the court was horrible, but that was a fun experience in Switzerland, indoors, in 2012.”

That match gave the United States a 2-0 lead against Switzerland in the first round itself! Moreover, the then 26-year-old Isner, who won over the then 16-time Grand Slam champion, called it the biggest victory of his tennis career. In 2015, Isner once again earned a victory over Federer at the Paris Masters, but the 2012 victory was so impressive that Federer himself praised his opponent after the match.

Roger Federer’s self-criticism after his loss to Isner in the Davis Cup

At first, it was Mardy Fish, who started on a strong note for America during their 2012 Davis Cup encounter against Switzerland. It followed with another shocking victory of Isner over Roger Federer. Following the clash, Federer admitted, “It’s been a difficult day for us. We still have a chance to go through. I’m going to enjoy the challenge.”

The Swiss maestro did not mince his words after his loss and further added, “I thought he played great. He played it tough and served great when he had to. I just missed a couple more opportunities than he did and that’s what cost me the match.”

It was the first time in eight years that Roger Federer had faced a loss in the Davis Cup singles. His 15-match winning streak in the event ended that day within 2 hours and 40 minutes, and he called it a “tough loss.” However, for Isner, the clash remained one of the greatest memories of his tennis career!