At the end of the afternoon's proceedings, the announcer thanked the spectators for coming, then joked, "And now we'll do it all again for television."
"You look familiar. Have you been on TV?"
John Isner, who told us earlier this week that he had never met Agassi before, finally got his chance Friday night, when he accidentally ran into the Hall of Famer at their hotel. Agassi told Isner he had enjoyed watching him play for the last few years, something Isner said was, "humbling, coming from him." Agassi did not give Isner any advice for today's Semifinal. "Did you give him any?" jokingly asked a reporter, with the 2011 Newport Finalist laughing in lieu of an answer.
Surprise, Surprise!
Despite the wide-open draw and several upsets, in the end, it will be the tournament's top seed facing last year's Runner-up in Sunday's Final. Isner will be hoping to become the first top seed to win Newport in the tournament's 34-year history, while Olivier Rochus is looking for his third singles title.
But Isner is not the only wildcard in the Finals, as compatriot Ryan Harrison and Aussie Matthew Ebden are one of two surprise pairings meeting in the Doubles Final. Ebden and Harrison will meet No. 4 seeds Johan Brunstrom and Adil Shamasdin, who defeated second-seeded Brazilians Marcelo Melo and Andre Sa in Saturday's Semifinal.
Dirrty
6'9''Isner defeated the 5'6'' Rochus in their only previous meeting, in the First Round of Qualifying for the Sony Ericsson Open in 2009, and he thinks Sunday's match "will make for great photo-ops."
Despite his past win, Isner knows the Belgian is very dangerous on Newport's surface given his touch, speed, and stature. "He's dirty!" the American exclaimed. "I mean that as a compliment."
Maybe from Where He Stands
As many other players, Isner believes the key to joining the top echelon of tennis players is confidence. He believes a lot of people on the ATP World Tour have the game to get to the Top 10, but few possess the confidence. Isner gave compatriot Mardy Fish as an example of how confidence can lead to wins, propelling a player into the Top 10. Perhaps surprisingly, Isner remarked, "It's not that he [Fish] is better than everyone else. It's not that he's better than me..."
See more photos from Saturday, July 9 by CLICKING HERE
