John Isner sends classy message to Andy Murray as Brit dumped out of Wimbledon

John Isner hailed Andy Murray as "one of the greatest players ever" after knocking the Brit out of the second round of Wimbledon. The big-serving American produced 36 aces as he blasted his way into the third round with a 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 6-4 victory.

"It's no secret that I am not a better tennis player than Andy Murray," Isner said. "I might have just been a little better than him today.

"It was a great honour to play against him today. The age I'm at now, I need to relish these moments, this was one of the biggest wins of my career. To play as well as I did against one of the greatest players ever is a huge accomplishment for me.

"He is a massive inspiration for us in the locker room and we are lucky to still have him around. I had an incredible serving day and I needed every bit of it to beat him. This is at the very top for me.

"I didn't give him many opportunities to spin his web and get tangled up in it. I didn't get into many rallies."

Isner has had some iconic matches at Wimbledon, none more so than his marathon 11-hour-and-five-minute clash with Nicolas Mahut in 2010 that spanned across three days.

However, taking on three-time Grand Slam champion Murray in front of his home fans on Centre Court is right up there.

"A lot of people ask me about that match in 2010, ask me about the great memories I have from that match but it's more nightmares, being on the court for 11 hours," Isner added.

"This could be at the top, it is super special to everyone of us on tour. I actually haven't played many matches on Centre Court because I haven't been good enough but I was lucky to play Andy in the second round.."

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