Isner Becomes First Man to Win 500 Tour-Level Tie-Breaks

John Isner of the US plays a backhand return to Adrian Mannarino of France during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (AP)
John Isner of the US plays a backhand return to Adrian Mannarino of France during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (AP)
TT
20

Isner Becomes First Man to Win 500 Tour-Level Tie-Breaks

John Isner of the US plays a backhand return to Adrian Mannarino of France during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (AP)
John Isner of the US plays a backhand return to Adrian Mannarino of France during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (AP)

American John Isner entered the ATP Tour record books on Friday by becoming the first man to win 500 tour-level tie-breaks in his 7-6(8) 7-5 victory over Emilio Gomez in the Dallas Open quarter-finals.

Isner's 500 career tie-break victories put him 34 ahead of Swiss great Roger Federer on the Open Era list, with Pete Sampras (328) third.

Andy Roddick (303) and 22-time Grand Slam champions Novak Djokovic (299) and Rafa Nadal (263) are also in the top 10.

"I've won a lot of tie-breaks in my career and in the first set I won a big number of them: 500 of them," Isner said in his on-court interview in front of his home crowd. "I'm very glad I didn't have to win 501."

Isner also holds the record for the most aces on the tour, having hit more than 14,000.



Olympic Champion Hall Jr. Receives Replicas of 10 Medals Lost in LA Fires

US swimmer Gary Hall Jr. (L) holds one of the original medals as he is presented with repilicas of his Olympic medals by IOC President Thomas Bach during a handover ceremony after the originals were destroyed with his house in the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year, at the Olympic House in Lausanne on May 5, 2025. (Photo by Denis Balibouse / POOL / AFP)
US swimmer Gary Hall Jr. (L) holds one of the original medals as he is presented with repilicas of his Olympic medals by IOC President Thomas Bach during a handover ceremony after the originals were destroyed with his house in the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year, at the Olympic House in Lausanne on May 5, 2025. (Photo by Denis Balibouse / POOL / AFP)
TT
20

Olympic Champion Hall Jr. Receives Replicas of 10 Medals Lost in LA Fires

US swimmer Gary Hall Jr. (L) holds one of the original medals as he is presented with repilicas of his Olympic medals by IOC President Thomas Bach during a handover ceremony after the originals were destroyed with his house in the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year, at the Olympic House in Lausanne on May 5, 2025. (Photo by Denis Balibouse / POOL / AFP)
US swimmer Gary Hall Jr. (L) holds one of the original medals as he is presented with repilicas of his Olympic medals by IOC President Thomas Bach during a handover ceremony after the originals were destroyed with his house in the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year, at the Olympic House in Lausanne on May 5, 2025. (Photo by Denis Balibouse / POOL / AFP)

Multiple Olympic swimming champion Gary Hall Jr. received replicas of his 10 Olympic medals on Monday after the originals were destroyed during the Los Angeles wildfires in January.
The medals were presented to him by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach during a ceremony at the Games ruling body's headquarters in Lausanne, Reuters reported.
"Thank you for the medals," Hall Jr. said in a brief speech. "Never before have 10 Olympic medals been replaced. Probably because no one has lost 10 medals before. I will do a better job at taking care of these.
"The realization through this process that outweighs any sense of loss is this word of solidarity and what it means which cannot be taken away."
Hall represented the United States at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics, winning five gold, three silver and two bronze medals in Atlanta, Sydney and Athens.
The 50-year-old was forced to leave the medals behind at his Pacific Palisades home during the fires which tore through the Los Angeles area.
"When we were reading your tragic story of losing your house and all your possessions and all your worldly properties, this was going straight to our heart," Bach said.
The wildfires killed at least 29 people and destroyed large sections of the Altadena and Pacific Palisades neighborhoods in Los Angeles, displacing tens of thousands of people.
It is estimated to be the most expensive natural disaster in US history.
Los Angeles will host the next summer Olympics in 2028.