Southern California native Steve Johnson retires from tennis after BNP Paribas Open loss
Southern California native Steve Johnson, who played collegiately at USC before turning pro in 2011, played his final match of his career Sunday at the BNP Paribas Open.
Johnson's final match was in doubles with fellow American Tommy Paul. The pair lost 6-2, 7-6(3) to Nikola Mektic and Wesley Koolhof inside Stadium 4 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Johnson, 34, said that he’s had a shift in priorities. With two small children, his focus has turned to family and for the first time in his career tennis began to feel like a job, Johnson said.
He added that he is no longer able to do the things physically like he did in the past, and that he no longer had the desire to put in the 10-12 hours a day that is required to play at the highest level.
“It’s kind of crazy to think that I’ve done this since I was 2 or 3 years old and today is the last day I’ll compete as a professional,” Johnson said. “The tennis aspect, I’m still in love with. I love competing, I love going out there and playing. Physically, I wasn’t at 100% or anywhere near that the last 18 months, and it took a toll on me.”
Growing up in Southern California and residing in Redondo Beach, Johnson figured it was appropriate to play his last match at what he refers to as his home tournament.
Johnson took three months off following the 2023 U.S. Open and found that he didn’t miss the training, didn’t miss the hitting and doing all the little things that it took to be great.
“It just became more of a chore than something I have enjoyed doing since I was 16, 17, 18 years old,” Johnson. “Physically, this year I played Dallas and won a match. I qualified, so I won two matches and my body felt so bad. I just know what it’s going to take for me to get back to whatever I can get to — I don’t know what that number could’ve been — and I just didn’t have it in me mentally, emotionally.”
Johnson ends his career with a record of 197-204 in ATP matches, four tournament singles titles and a career-high ranking of No. 21 in the world. He won an Olympic bronze medal in men’s doubles in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 with fellow American Jack Sock.
Johnson said that the toughest shot he ever faced was John Isner’s serve, and that the most difficult player he ever faced was Roger Federer.
Johnson is the son of legendary Southern California tennis coach Steve Johnson, Sr., who died in 2017. Johnson said Sunday that “it’s been really a really hard seven years.”
“But I know he’s watching,” Johnson said, his eyes welling with tears, “very proud of my career and the family that I have. He gave me a lot and I just wish I could share moments like this with him.”
Andrew John covers the BNP Paribas Open for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Olympian and SoCal native Steve Johnson ends tennis career in Indian Wells
