"Ridiculous" - John Isner makes frustrations clear with Aryna Sabalenka, Daniil Medvedev & other Russian & Belarusian players facing flag restrictions

The former American star, John Isner, has recently shared his thoughts on Russian and Belarusian tennis players, including Aryna Sabalenka and Daniil Medvedev, playing without their national flag. The winner of sixteen ATP Tour singles titles further reflected his discontentment with ITF policy, which bans Russian and Belarusian players from displaying their flags.

In 2022, the International Tennis Federation, the governing body of Tennis, mandated that, due to Russia commencing its attack on Ukraine, players from Russia and Belarus would not be allowed to participate in their competitions while representing their national flags.

However, the players from both these countries are allowed to compete in international tennis events without officially competing under their nations' names. Furthermore, the Russian and Belarusian players have been banned from participating in team events since the rule. The players are also ineligible to compete in the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup.

Through his recent X posts, John Isner shared his outright dissatisfaction with the rule, which is currently ongoing. He mentioned,

"Can the Russian tennis players get their flag back? Bit ridiculous now."

While highlighting his disapproval, in the same thread, the former World No. 8 added,

"It’s so lame."

The Greensboro, North Carolina, native, John Isner, won eight titles in the doubles category and reached a highest ATP ranking of 14. In the history of ATP, Isner has the most aces with 14,470. He also played the longest match in tennis history, spanning three days, against French player Nicolas Mahut and emerged victorious.

John Isner reflects on his post-retirement life after tennis

During his interview with USTA Eastern Noah Rubin on March 8, 2025, John Isner reflected on his domestic life after retiring from the sport in 2023, after the US Open.

"Not holding a racket quite as much holding babies a lot more. So fortunate enough to have a big family and my wife's amazing but I always knew that after tennis I was going to of course devote myself as much as I could to my family which has been a fun transition but it hasn't been easy." He shared (0:42 onwards)

He continued,

"Not just in tennis, professional athletes in general that finally decide to stop playing it's a bit of a shock really. I had a long career but it was a tough adjustment. I think any athlete will tell you that much if they're going to be completely honest. I'm more than a year into it's become a lot easier."

In 2017, Isner got married to Madison McKinley, a jewellery designer, and together they have four children.

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Edited by Mitali