John Isner

John Isner is the tallest player you'll ever see on a pickleball court at 6'10", and the owner of the fastest serve in tennis history at 157.2 mph, which is completely useless in pickleball. A former world No. 8 in tennis with 16 ATP singles titles, Isner retired from professional tennis in 2023 after an 18-year career that included 15 Davis Cup appearances and some of the most iconic moments in tennis history. He started playing pickleball about three years ago after initially thinking the sport was a joke, watching his buddy Sam Querrey switch over and assuming he was "joking." He's now happy to admit he was wrong. Isner is sponsored by Selkirk and plays for the D.C. Pickleball Team in MLP.

What makes Isner's pickleball journey entertaining is his total honesty about the learning curve. Without his nuclear overhand serve, he freely admits he becomes "an average player," since his biggest weapon simply doesn't exist in pickleball. But his tennis touch helps at the net, especially on dinks and thirds, and his around-the-net play benefits from absurdly long arms. He's said that if Jack Sock trains seriously for a year, "he'd be the best" in pickleball. With young kids at home, Isner isn't chasing a pro pickleball career, but he's become a genuine ambassador for the sport, co-hosting the "Nothing Major" podcast with Sock and bringing mainstream sports attention wherever he goes. Follow him on Instagram @johnrisner.