"I don't know if the record will get broken, I could be up there for a long time" - John Isner sets a new all-time aces record

John Isner set a new all-time aces record in men's tennis during his third round Wimbledon encounter against Jannik Sinner on Friday. The American giant smashed 24 aces against Sinner, taking his career tally to 13,729 aces, beating Karlovic's previous record of 13,728 aces.

Despite his remarkable achievement, Isner is out of Wimbledon after losing to Sinner 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 in two hours and twenty minutes.

The 37-year-old, who stands at six foot 10, beat two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray in his previous encounter. He smashed 36 aces en route to that victory and later voiced his delight at being capable of passing Karlovic.

"It's actually really cool. It's something I'm really proud of," Isner said. "I will be the all-time leader. I'll keep playing, keep adding to my total... I don't know if (the record) will get broken. I could be up there for a long time."

Isner has won 92% of his service games, with 79% of first-serve points, as per the ATP tour website. He has saved 71% of the break points as well.

---

"He’s got great hands; I have to say, he’s a legend" - Mats Wilander on John Isner

Jannik Sinner and John Isner after their encounter at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

John Isner received praise for his outstanding achievement. One of the first people to appreciate him was Swedish former World No. 1 Mats Wilander.

In an interview with Eurosport, Wilander heaped praise on the big-hitting American. He appreciated Isner's use of his hands as well as his aggressive playing style.

"He’s got great hands," Mats Wilander said. "We always sort of say, for a big man, he’s got great hands and I can never figure out why big men and big women cannot have great hands. But, he’s using them more these days."

"He’s hitting slice backhands, he’s hitting a lot of drop shots, he’s coming to the net. He absolutely rips the ball on the service return against his opponents’ second serve. But, he takes the racquet out of your hand, and I have to say, he’s a legend. He really is a legend," he added.

The seven-time Grand Slam winner referred to Isner as a "legend" at Wimbledon and advised players not to engage in a tie-breaker with Isner.

"He’s obviously a legend here at Wimbledon," Wilander said. "Because he played the longest match in the history of our sport, and he played that famous one against Kevin Anderson. Of course, because of those two matches, I believe we now have a tie-breaker, first to ten points."

"But, more than that, he’s a legend because he can play so many close matches and he wins so many tie-breakers," he said. "I bet you he’s got the best tie-breaker record in the history of our sport - somebody at home maybe should check that out. But that’s what I feel like. You don’t want to get to a tie-breaker with John Isner," he went on to add.