John Isner has given his first reaction to 32-time Davis Cup champions USA crashing out of the competition.
USA were coming up against tough opposition in Czechia for their second Davis Cup qualifier tie, but actually found themselves ahead after Taylor Fritz beat Jakub Mensik, while Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek won a close-fought doubles rubber.
However, things began to unravel for the Americans on day two of the tie, with Fritz losing to Jiri Lehecka, while Frances Tiafoe continued his poor Davis Cup record after being beaten by Mensik to seal victory for Czechia.
This has continued a drought for the USA Davis Cup team, and now former top 10 player John Isner has given his verdict on his compatriots’ performance.
Photo by Maria Velez/VIEWpressJohn Isner reacts to USA crashing out of the Davis Cup
Isner is a two-time Davis Cup semifinalist and was a big part of USA’s team until he retired from tennis in 2023.
When speaking about the latest disappointment for USA on the Nothing Major podcast, Isner was not too harsh on his compatriots and instead praised Czechia for their performance.
Isner did also suggest that USA had the odds against them after the withdrawals of Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul due to injury.
“I would have pegged the US as favourites going into that tie but not a massive favourite. It was a crazy tough draw,” said Isner. “Czechia brought all of their players.
“[Tomas] Machac is highly ranked and didn’t play singles at all. Played the doubles. They brought their A team and credit to them. After the US Open I’m sure they stuck around, went down to Florida and started training there.
“It seemed like they were very committed to this tie. Taylor made it pretty deep into the US Open so it was a quick turnaround for him.
“He competed like he always does but I think Bob was dealt a tough hand, with the fact that Ben and Tommy were not available, so his options were a bit limited.
“You would have liked to have had Ben or Tommy in that situation and Frances didn’t play his best, clearly, so it was a tough draw and the rain on Saturday was brutal. We had a long rain delay so there wasn’t much atmosphere there for Frances’ last match which he likes to play in front of a big crowd, so it was a tough one.”
What is next for USA in the Davis Cup?
USA will no longer be part of the Davis Cup for the rest of 2025, while Czechia progresses to the Finals in Bologna later this year.
This has continued a poor run of form for the most successful team in the competition’s history, with USA’s most recent of their 32 titles coming in 2007.
Since 2020, the USA have been unable to surpass the quarterfinals and in three of the past five years have not even made it to the year-end Davis Cup Finals.
USA Davis Cup Result2020-21Group Stage2022Quarterfinals2023Group Stage2024Quarterfinals2025Second Qualifier Round
The American team will have to start from scratch all over again next year, as they take part in the first qualifier round in 2026.
It is unclear as to who they will be playing yet, as the draw for next year has not yet taken place with the Davis Cup Finals still to come.