As omens go, it was telling. The 10th-seeded Isner failed in his bid to become the first American man in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros since Andre Agassi in 2003, losing serve once in each set of a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 defeat against No. 6 Berdych of the Czech Republic.
"It was big. I mean, it wasn't huge, but I started off a little slow," said Isner, best known for winning the longest match in tennis history, 70-68 in the fifth set, at Wimbledon in 2010. "Just wasn't as lively -- everything really -- at the very beginning of the match."
Isner recognizes this is a fallow period for a nation that produced the likes of Agassi, Pete Sampras and Jim Courier not too long ago, along with other past Grand Slam champions such as Bill Tilden, Don Budge, Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors.
"I'm the No. 1 American now, which isn't as cool as being the No. 1 American in the '90s or something, or the 2000s," the 29-year-old Isner said. "It's pretty neat to say, but it's nothing I would brag about or anything like that.