- John Isner has been married to his wife, Madison McKinley Isner, since December 2017.
- Though John is the best American men's player in the game, he says he's played even better since growing his family with his jewelry designer wife.
Standing at an impressive 6 feet 10 inches, John Isner has made a name for himself as the best American tennis player on the ATP tour. If you look a foot and some inches below him, you'll often find his beaming wife, jewelry designer Madison McKinley Isner. The couple, who now share a daughter and have a son on the way, have the sweetest eight-year love story.
Though John recently lost in the third round of the 2019 U.S. Open, he's enjoying time with his family. And before he headed out to NYC, his wife, daughter, and dogs sent him off with an adorable selfie.
Let's take a look back at how this couple got together, and how his wife and daughter have totally changed his game on the court:
Before John met Madison
Madison grew up in Highland Park, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. She graduated from high school at The Episcopal School of Dallas, according to Dallas-based magazine, D.
John and Madison’s “meet cute”
John was playing with his pal Sam Querrey at the 2011 U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston, and Madison was a high school senior watching. Madison’s friends wanted to ask John and Sam for a photo post-match, but they denied the request and instead returned with, “What are y’all doing later?” according to D.
“It’s weird how it happened,” John told the magazine earlier this year. “We almost didn’t meet. I had lost singles earlier that day, and I should have won. I had no business losing the match, like, at all. Had I won — the singles is always a priority — I probably would have not played doubles. But since I lost, I played doubles an hour and a half later.”
What followed was text messages back and forth, until months later, when Madison was gifted a trip to London. As fate would have it, John would also be in London … for Wimbledon. He got off the plane and met her for a drink at a pub (it was water!), and she recalled him being “goofy and a big goober.” Madison decided to stay there an extra week and the rest, as they say, is history.
Madison went off to study at Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she studied fashion and apparel design.
Madison went to London to watch John in the Olympics
The couple continued to meet up all over the world, and even made it back to London in 2012. This time, it was for the 2012 Summer Olympics. John advanced to the quarterfinals, but lost to Roger Federer.
Traveling and transferring
The couple traveled to see each other as often as possible, but after three years in NYC, Madison transferred to the University of Texas at Austin. In 2016, she graduated with a degree in fine/studio arts, according to her LinkedIn. Shortly after her graduation, she moved to her family’s ranch in Buffalo, Wyoming, for six months and redesigned it.
That same year, she also founded her own business, called Madison McKinley.
John gets down on one knee in London
John wanted to propose at that same pub they met at in London, but he opted for a more private venue: Saint Mary’s Church. The day before their six-year anniversary, Madison said, “Yes!”
“This man had me from the first time we shared a glass of water at the pub six years ago,” she wrote on Instagram. “Our hearts are so full and I can’t wait to see what the rest of our lives bring us!! He is stuck with me!!”
Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Isner
Six months later, they tied the knot in a country themed wedding at the Montage Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina. John referred to it as “the day I married the one for me.”
You can watch the tear-jerkingly beautiful wedding video below:
Aww!
Madison announces her pregnancy
And then there were three! In April, Madison announced, “SURPRISE!! Isner party of 3 coming at you!! We are so blessed and excited to share this news with you! #babygirl.”
Five months later …
Their baby is born
The couple welcomed their first child, Hunter Grace Isner, in September 2018.
“Hunter Grace Isner your first breath took mine away,” Madison captioned a smiley Instagram photo of the family of three. “Welcome to this great big world baby girl! @johnrisner and I love you to the moon and back! Praise the Lord for this incredible gift!”
Meanwhile, John’s sweet note said, “Life changed forever when this little one entered the world on 9/15/2019. Everyone say hello to the 8lb 1oz Hunter Grace Isner. Didn’t think it was possible to love something this much. My wife @madkool13 is the best mother ever. We are so blessed!”
Later that year, John was interviewed about his family life, and he said being a dad has improved his game.
“For me personally, I’m just at a very good stage in my life, and think the most important thing that does is help you relax on the court,” he said in an interview in November 2018. “And at times when I’ve played my best, I found myself very relaxed on the court, because win or lose, my life is great after I shake my opponent’s hand.”
Another baby will make 4
The Isner family is growing! In April 2019, Madison shared a video of John serving and a bunch of blue powder shot out.
“Hunter Grace is going to be a big sister!” she wrote. “#Isnerpartyof4.”
Technically, the Isner family is a little bigger. You can’t count out John’s longtime love, his English Cocker Spaniel Magill. Madison’s Instagram Highlight titled “doggies,” shows that the family also has two other dogs.
Looks like John and the entire Isner family are ready for another epic year around the sun.
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