Serena, Isner named finalists for USOC honor

Serena Williams and John Isner have both been named finalists for the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Team USA Awards presented by Dow, for the month of July.

Williams is up for Female Athlete of the Month honors after reaching her 30th Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon and becoming the third-oldest Grand Slam finalist since 1968. The tournament was just the fourth in her comeback after more than a year off, during which she gave birth to her first daughter. 

The 23-time Grand Slam champion has boosted her WTA ranking back up to No. 26 after she fell out of the Top 400 as a result of her time away from the game. 

Isner is being recognized for a pair of strong results on the ATP World Tour as a nominee for Male Athlete of the Month. He began July with a run to the Wimbledon semifinals, his best career performance at a major, and wrapped it up with his fifth BB&T Atlanta Open title.

In that London semifinal, Isner battled Kevin Anderson for six hours, 36 minutes, before falling, 26-24, in the fifth set. It was the second-longest match in Grand Slam history, only behind Isner's opening-round marathon against Nicolas Mahut in 2010. Already the top-ranked American man, he achieved a career-high ranking of No. 8 midway through the month thanks to his Wimbledon success.

Both Williams and Isner are one of five Team USA athletes up for their respective honors. There is also an award presented for Team of the Month.

A fan vote will now help decide the winners of each award, with voting open until midnight on Aug. 6.

Show your support for Serena, John and Team USA by casting your vote at Awards.TeamUSA.org.