The American veteran John Isner turned 37 on Wednesday, standing as the second-oldest player in the top-100. John saw the footage of his 2010 Davis Cup match versus Novak Djokovic and admitted he forgot about that encounter.

Serbia and the USA battled in the 2010 Davis Cup World Group first round in Belgrade on indoor clay. Novak and John met in the fourth rubber, and the home player scored a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 victory in four hours and 16 minutes to propel his country into the last eight.

Djokovic prevailed in their first encounter and delivered his 14th win from 20 Davis Cup singles rubbers. Novak took 12 points more than John and converted four out of 14 break points. Isner seized two out of nine opportunities, forcing a decider but losing it after a single break on Djokovic’s tally.

The American fended off a break point in the opener’s sixth game to avoid the deficit.

He denied two set points at 4-5 to prolong the set and his chances.

Novak stayed calm and placed a forehand crosscourt winner at 6-5 to score a break and wrap up the opener in 54 minutes. John made a better start in set number two, breaking in the opening game and creating four more chances at 2-0.

Djokovic saved those to remain within one break deficit. The Serb served to stay in the set at 3-5 when Isner grabbed his second break and secured it in style. Servers barely lost a point in the third set’s opening four games to stay locked at 2-2.

John hit a costly double fault in game five to experience a break and push Novak in front. Serving to confirm the advantage, Djokovic erased two break chances in the sixth game to open a 4-2 gap. The Serb held at love for 5-3 and grabbed another break in game nine thanks to the American’s double fault that handed him the set.

The fourth set saw no break chances, with two rivals heading toward a tie break. Isner had no room for errors, and he won it 8-6 to force a decider and extend his chances. Novak hit two double faults in the final set’s second game but brought it home after deuce.

Djokovic gained a boost and delivered the decisive break at 2-2 thanks to Isner’s double fault. John battled hard and survived three match points at 3-5 to prolong his chances. Djokovic served for the victory in game ten and sealed the deal with a service winner after a couple of deuces for a massive celebration with his teammates.