Is John Isner snakebit at Wimbledon?

— -- He's an icon at the All-England Club, but his record at the tournament is an anemic 7-7. There's a bronze plaque bearing his name beside Court 18, but he has never beaten a player ranked higher than No. 62 on any Wimbledon lawn. He's 6-foot-10 and owns the most feared weapon in the grass-court player's arsenal. But he's never been able to drill past the third round with that big serve.

John Isner is a Wimbledon enigma. But he isn't ready to give up on Wimbledon. Even if the tournament sometimes seems to have given up on him.

It would be unrealistic for anyone to expect Isner to win Wimbledon, but he's made the fourth round at every other major. He's ridden that rocket serve to two ATP Masters 1000 finals, and it earned him two grass-court titles at Newport. If anything, it means he's capable of making a deep run at Wimbledon. It just hasn't happened yet.

"My results haven't been that great, and I'm aware of that," Isner, now 31, told ESPN.com earlier this week. "At the same time, I know I can do it. I was very close to making that second week last year."

It's true. In last season's third-round clash, Isner fell to No. 9 Marin Cilic 12-10 in the fifth set. No shame in that loss as Isner was the No. 12 seed and the underdog. But ouch; the man awaiting the winner in Round 4 was wild card Denis Kudla. Call it a missed opportunity -- one of a number, it turns out.

In 2013, Isner pulled out of his second-round match against Adrian Mannarino because of a bum knee. Their quarter of the draw imploded. Jerzy Janowicz ended up playing Lukasz Kubot for a spot in the semis. Isner watched, holding an ice-bag on his knee.

"I really believe John has an excellent chance to do well," Justin Gimlestob, a Tennis Channel commentator and former coach of Isner, told ESPN.com. "Always has; it just hasn't happened for him. It was very close to happening last year. His understanding of the grass game has gotten better every year."

Gimelstob said they worked very hard on Isner's grass game before Wimbledon last year and cited improvements in his strategic approach as well as his volleying and finishing game. Isner's slice is greatly improved, and now Isner defends against his opponents' slice more effectively as well. Isner's movement also has improved.

"Physically, grass in general is good for me," Isner said. "But it's kind of slippery, which doesn't make movement any easier. The ball bounces low and goes through quickly, so it doesn't get up as well in my strike zone. I'm still working on it."

It's silly to compare the results at Wimbledon to the low-key event at Newport. But winning is winning, and the grass courts in Newport are less friendly to Isner's long limbs because the bounce is lower and the skid quicker. If he won twice there, he's no slouch on grass.

"I really believe only a handful of players ought to be able to beat John at Wimbledon," Gimelstob said. "If the stars align, the guy who could surprise everyone is Isner."

It's a very big "if." The stars above SW19 have been reluctant to fall into line for Isner. He earned international acclaim in 2010 when he defeated Nicolas Mahut in that epic three-day, 11-hour-plus, 70-68 marathon. What did it get him?

Surfing the sympathy and his newfound celebrity, Mahut subsequently turned around a career that was going nowhere before he lost that match. Spent and rubbery-legged Isner moved on to the second round after a day's rest and won just five games against Thiemo de Bakker. After that, Isner would win just one singles match at Wimbledon until 2013 -- a 2011 rematch against Mahut.

Is Isner snakebit at Wimbledon?

"I guess I've had trouble since that match," Isner said. "Every five-setter, it seems I haven't come through. But the match wasn't a bad thing for me, and that aspect of it doesn't really bother me at all. I don't really even think about it too much. It was a long time ago."

Gimelstob isn't superstitious, but he admits that in numerous ways Isner hasn't been very lucky. He's had tricky opponents and injuries.

Next week, Isner embarks on the Wimbledon journey with a significant pebble in his size 15 shoe. His tiebreaker efficiency is tanking. He's 16-16 this year. It has dragged his career winning percentage down to .629 (297-175).

"He's well aware of that stat," said Gimelstob, who figures the downtick is probably a sign that Isner hasn't been firing on all three cylinders -- physical, mental, emotional.

More than other players, Gimelstob said, Isner needs to commit fully to a specific style, his style. That's the aggressive, first-strike game grounded in the ability to hold serve and hammer down aces. Isner's former coach simply called it "big man tennis."

"The amount of pressure John can put on a guy is enormous," Gimelstob said. "He can do so much to control the tone and tempo of a match. But if he gets passive or nervous, the dynamic changes."

It's impossible to know how Isner will react when he walks out onto the court for his first-round match. He's a Wimbledon celebrity. He's a Wimbledon enigma. He owes Wimbledon and Wimbledon owes him. Ambivalence is a personality trait. It may help, it may hinder.

"I don't know if I'm due for a deep run or anything like that," Isner said, "I just know it's a tournament I'm eager to get to and get started at."