The character of Isaac did not appear in this episode as actor Robert Guillaume had suffered a stroke. This was written into the series to explain Isaac's continued absence. Guillaume made a return to the show in the last episode of season one, 'What Kind of Day Has it Been?' The title of this episode, "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" was retained, even though the plot point to which it refers was dropped (it reappears in the season two episode "Celebrities").
The tennis match footage was from a 1998 US Open second round match that saw wild card Paul Goldstein take Pete Sampras to four sets - just as the episode's fictional player Alberto Fedrigotti did.