Isner vs. Roddick

In only his second ATP tournament ever, former Georgia tennis standout John Isner has reached the finals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington D.C. That's the good news. The bad news is he has to play Andy Roddick. The Deaner has two reasons why he likes Andy Roddick. If he wants to share them, I imagine he will comment here.

Back on track. It may not be bad news for Isner to face Roddick considering he's already knocked off Tim Henman, Benjamin (not Boris) Becker, and Tommy Haas on his run to the finals. If Isner keeps serving the way he has been this week, he's got a shot. My main concern for him is fatigue. He's won every match in a third set tie break. That has to drain you.

I missed Isner's semi-final win over Gael Monfils due to travel, but I did catch his quarterfinal win over Tommy Haas. A couple things I got from that match... 1) Is it eyes-ner or izz-ner? I always thought it was eyes-ner, but Cliff Drysdale and Patrick McEnroe were saying izz-ner. 2) You just can't get away from Patrick McEnroe these days. Whether he's filling in on what used to be the Dan Patrick show, filling in for one of the guys on PTI, or commentating on tennis. The guy is everywhere lately. 3) UGA tennis is very well respected. I know it should be with all of the championships. But, Patrick McEnroe made several kind remarks about the program during the progress. He also talked about the great crowds that come out for the NCAA championships in Athens, and how that allowed Isner to play in a big time atmosphere prior to turning pro. It's cool when a pro tennis commentator knows these things.

So, the final is on Sunday at 3pm on ESPN2. Tune in if you can to cheer on Isner. Go Dawgs!