John Isner will be playing singles for the third time in four Davis Cup ties since making his debut in the 2010 World Group first round in Serbia. On Friday, Isner will face Swiss No. 1 and world No. 3 Roger Federer for the third time in their careers. They most recently met in the second round of the ATP Masters event in Shanghai, and also met in the third round of the 2007 US Open, to which Isner earned a main draw wild card after capturing the 2007 NCAA men’s singles title as a senior for the University of Georgia.
Isner is 0-2 in two matches on the first day of a Davis Cup tie. He led off the 2010 first round tie against Serbia, and lost to Viktor Troicki in four sets. In the 2011 first round in Chile, Isner lost to Paul Capdeville in five sets in four hours and 22 minutes, the fifth longest match in U.S. Davis Cup history since the introduction of the tiebreak in 1989. In all, Isner has competed in eight tiebreaks in 17 sets in Davis Cup play.
Federer is 18-2 on the first day of a Davis Cup tie, including a perfect 6-0 record when playing in the opening rubber. He has won 14 consecutive matches on Day 1 of a Davis Cup tie; his last loss came in the 2001 quarterfinal against France, when he lost to Nicolas Escude in four sets.
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