Getty John Isner told reporters he hoped Trump would come to his semifinals match on Friday.
John Isner is currently competing in the semi-finals in Wimbledon to advance to the finals of Wimbledon. Given that Trump is currently in the country, both Isner and Serena Williams, who is playing in the Women’s Final, were asked if they wanted the president to come to their matches.
Williams gave a neutral answer, not indicating that she cared either way. “I feel like he has the right to do whatever he wants to do,” said Williams. “If he wants to come to a Wimbledon final, he has that right,” she said.
But Isner said that he might even tweet at Trump to come. “I’d love to have Trump come watch me,” he said. “That would be awesome. Maybe I’ll tweet at him if I win on Wednesday.”
Isner and Trump are two notable Americans who might just end up meeting at the finals of Wimbledon. Here’s what you need to know.
1. This Is Isner’s First Time Making it Past the Quarter Finals of Wimbledon
At 33-years-old, after 41 Grand Slam events, this is Isner’s first time to make it as far as the semifinals of Wimbledon.
“With how I’m feeling physically and mentally, I’m in a very good spot; I think I can keep doing damage here,” he said to The New York Times. “This is amazing. It’s by far the best Grand Slam I’ve ever played in my career, and I’ve been playing for 11 years. I’m super happy. To do it here at Wimbledon makes it even a little bit more special.”
Most people know Isner for his eleven hour match against Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010, which clocked in as the longest match in Wimbledon history. Now, Isner might be known for being the first American to make it to the finals of Wimbledon since Andy Roddick was defeated by Roger Feder in 2009.
2. This Is Trump’s First Official Visit to the UK as President
This week also marked a first for another American: the first official visit by President Trump to the U.K. Trump’s itinerary has included a blacktie dinner in Oxfordshire hosted by Prime Minister Theresa May, as well as a meeting with the Queen at Windsor Castle.
In addition to his own itinerary, Trump’s visit has a whole round of protestors scheduling their own week around making Trump’s controversial international reputation known. One such protesting stunt has been a now infamous crowdfunding campaign for a twenty foot tall Trump baby balloon, not unlike the massive inflatable balloons seen in the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade.
Of the balloon, the crowdfunders said, “Donald Trump is a big, angry baby with a fragile ego and tiny hands. He’s also racist demagogue who is a danger to women, immigrants and minorities and a mortal threat to world peace and the very future of life on earth. Moral outrage is water off a duck’s back to Trump. But he really seems to hate it when people make fun of him. So when Trump visits the UK on Friday the 13th of July this year, we want to make sure he knows that all of Britain is looking down on him and laughing at him. That’s why a group of us have chipped in and raised enough money to have a 6 meter high blimp made by a professional inflatables company, to be flown in the skies over Parliament Square during Trump’s visit.”
The campaign smashed through its fundraising goal, to the point that the Trump baby balloon will now be following Trump to Scotland to taunt him there as well. Though there were questions as to whether the balloon would ever be allowed to actually fly, London Mayor Sadiq Khan approved the form of peaceful protestation in the week leading up to Trump’s visit.
3. Trump Attacked Both the Mayor of London & the Prime Minister of the UK in a Tabloid Interview While in London
In an interview with The Sun, Trump accused Prime Minister May of “wrecking Brexit”, and warned that she might be responsible for killing off any chance of a vital trade deal with the United States.
“I actually told [May] how to do it but she didn’t agree, she didn’t listen to me,” Trump said.
May didn’t comment on the interview immediately after, and the two were seen posing for cameras with their spouses at the black tie dinner she hosted for him in Oxfordshire. However, in their subsequent joint press conference (as seen above), May kept it professional throughout.
“No two countries do more than ours to keep their people safe and prosperous,” May said, reiterating her desire to deepen the relationship between the two countries. She also addressed Trump’s economic concerns saying, “We agree today that as the UK leaves the European Union, we will pursue an ambitious US-UK free trade agreement.”
4. Trump’s Previous Commitments Make It Pretty Unlikely For Him to Show Up at the Wimbledon Finals
Trump’s Friday schedule was looking pretty full when it was last announced, which makes it unlikely that Trump was going to make an appearance for the semifinals.
Plus, Trump is set to head to Scotland on Friday afternoon through Sunday evening, where he is set to visit the Turnberry golf course before heading to Russia for a summit with Putin.
With that said, Scotland is only a quick flight away from the UK, and Trump has always been one to enjoy flattery.
5. If He Wins, Isner is Set to Play Against One of the Two All-Time Greats, Nadal or Djokovic
Should he be heading into the finals, Isner will play one of two tennis greats: Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. Nadal is reported as a slight favorite , and the last time he played Isner as in 2017 in the Miami Open, a match which he won.