John Isner

There is so much that goes in to being a good tennis player. It's not just what you can do well on the court, it's between the ears as well.

The way I see it, the prize money is a reflection of my on-court performance, but the sponsorships are something more personal, connected more to people and fans, and to my values.

I've played with Prince racquets my entire career.

A tournament pays me to show up because the fans want to see me and I move the needle at the box office? That's amazing. It's good for tennis, good for me and good for the event. If a sponsor wants to pay to put their company name on my shirt because they think I'm a strong ambassador for their brand? Heck yes.

Being able to travel with family and friends so they can cheer me on as I play is something it's hard to put a price on; my point is simply that for all of this, there is indeed a price.

I love building a team around me, and being able to support a group of people is one of the best feelings I've come to know during my career; I imagine this is what a lot of business owners can relate to this.

My coaches, trainer and agency have all helped make me the player and the business that I am today.

Sometimes I think the easiest way to introduce what goes into managing the expenses of a tennis career is to take a look at another pro sport and notice some of the differences.

Practicing hard doesn't guarantee you anything.

As anyone who is a father or mother out there can tell you, it's pretty amazing.

That's the most fulfilling thing I've experienced ever, being a father.

For me, I relish playing tournaments in America.

As a tennis player, or any professional athlete, our career has a shelf life. I don't want to waste any opportunities, I don't want to look back on it when I'm 45 and think I could have done a lot more.

Prior to our daughter being born, I think getting married is another big step. That definitely settles things down personally.

Everyone works so hard on their game and on their body. Most of the time, it comes down to who is more relaxed mentally; on the court while playing and off the court.

My expenses are largely a fixed, sunken cost, regardless of how much revenue I earn.

I have a coach and I have a chiropractor, who works to keep me healthy. I pay their salaries. I pay for their flights as we travel around the world on a weekly basis, and I pay for their hotels and meals while we're on tour.

When I travel to a grand slam, I need to look for a place to stay for me, my family and my team.

I'd love to have Trump come watch me. That would be awesome.

My family and friends, they know that I'm a really good competitor.

I had no idea I was going to be this tall. Had I known that, I honestly would have stuck to basketball.

I want to be a top-10 player and I want to win a Grand Slam tournament.

That would be a huge honor, if I ever were to become the No. 1 American. It's something that I've always wanted to, you know, achieve that. For me, if were to happen, it'd be great. I'd try to hold onto that spot as long as possible, but I know there'd be a lot of people nipping at my heels to try to get to that No. 1 spot.

I've sort of always pulled for the heels, like the bad guys. So I think if I were a pro wrestler, first I'd need to bulk up, and second I'll need to get sort of a bad-boy persona.

People seem to think when you lose a match it's because you are not working hard.

Outdoor tennis plays into my strengths a little better.

The best thing about being 6'9'' is that it helps with my tennis game, especially with my serve.

What I most look forward to about traveling to MEMPHIS is the great food.

My favorite tournament is the U.S. Open because the atmosphere is great.

The hardest part about traveling for work is that I'm a big guy, so traveling is sometimes uncomfortable for me.

The best part about traveling for work is that it's better than sitting behind a desk!

Yeah, certainly you want to try to save your energy at a Grand Slam.

In a tiebreaker, you generally have a lot of adrenaline running through. It's all about just holding your serve, trying to hold two serves at a time, trying to stay ahead in the tiebreaker, constantly put pressure on my opponent.

It's awesome to have the crowd on your side.

I haven't really worked with, like, a mental coach or anything.

The coaches that I have have done an incredible job with me, obviously the stuff we work on on the court.

Tennis is not really a traditional Olympic sport.

Nothing against the Olympics. I played in 2012 and it was an incredible experience. It's different for tennis players than for swimmers and track and field athletes. That's the pinnacle of their sport and not so much the pinnacle of tennis.

There are a lot of things that go on between the lines of a tennis court, mentally, physically and whatnot.

When I left college, I just thought I could play tennis to delay getting a regular job and go there and try to make ends meet. But it's been a very different experience for me, fortunately.

A big upper body is not a great thing for tennis, and for me, flexibility is important.

At 19, I didn't have a hair on my face. When I was 20, I looked 14.

I've done a good job putting some meat on my bones since my freshman year of college. It's taken a lot of work. I was just under 200 pounds my freshman year; I was 6'8' and 198 pounds.

Probably the most infamous story in our family: My oldest brother took a U-lock bike lock and locked my head to the bedpost. And he didn't just do this for a minute or two; he did this for a couple hours. I was maybe 8 or 9, and he was maybe 15.

The mental part of the game, being able to free up on the tennis court, is much easier said than done.

In the past, I've played where I only just rely on my serve.

I didn't know I could even be a professional tennis player, honestly. All this is actually very, very unexpected.

If someone had told me at fourteen that I'd be six-ten, I might have stuck with basketball, in all seriousness.

A lot of players have had it worse than me. Look at a guy like Andy Roddick, incredible Hall of Fame player, but he ran up against Roger so many times in big finals.

Everything has gone pretty fluidly in my personal life, so I think that certainly helps.