Steve Johnson

Steve Johnson is an American tennis player who is known for having a big serve and an even bigger forehand.

Johnson plays his tennis with a simple but effective strategy: dominate with the serve and forehand, and hide the other shots as much as possible. He has kept the American flag flying high at several big tournaments of late, and is expected to continue to do well in the years to come.

Best finish at each of the four Grand Slams:

Australian Open: 3rd Round (2015, 2016)

French Open: 3rd Round (2015, 2017, 2018)

Wimbledon: 4th Round (2016)

US Open: 3rd Round (2012)

Highest Ranking: No. 21

Style of play

Johnson is an aggressive player who likes to take the initiative in rallies as early as possible.

His game is centered around his serve and forehand; if either of those two shots fails, he finds himself in trouble.

The American frequently approaches the net to finish points set up by his serve or forehand. He also slices his backhand quite a lot in order to hold his ground while defending from that side.

Strengths and weaknesses

Johnson's most obvious strengths are his serve and forehand. His forehand in particular is a lethal force of nature; whether hit flat or with topspin, it has the ability to open up the court and give Johnson an advantageous court positioning.

The American's serve is also quite a handy shot, as it enables him to hold with ease most of the time. Both his first and second serve are hit with accuracy and pace.

Johnson's backhand is a huge liability, and he often struggles to stay in points where that weak is targeted. He resorts to the backhand slice to redirect the ball to his forehand, and that doesn't always work.

Johnson's movement is also not a strong point for him. He finds it difficult to defend from the back of the court, especially against more powerful players, and always looks to do everything he can to avoid being pinned behind the baseline.

Personal life

Johnson was born in Orange, California, but currently resides in Redondo Beach. His father Steve Johnson Sr., a tennis coach, passed away in 2017, while his mother Michelle works as a math professor.

Johnson started playing tennis at as early an age as two, and was coached by his father right from those initial days until his senior career. He attributes all of his success to Steve Johnson Sr., saying that everything he knew about tennis was taught to him by his father.

Johnson's role models while growing up were Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. He used them as inspirations to put together a fantastic college-level tennis career, where he won multiple individual and team titles.

He married his long-time girlfriend Kendall on 21st April 2018. Kendall was from the same college that Johnson went to: USC Trojans.

Johnson has kept alive the American tradition of fielding power hitters capable of blow anyone off the court with their serve and forehand. While he hasn't tasted Grand Slam success yet, there's no reason why he can't do that in the future if he keeps working hard on his game.

Social media presence:

Steve Johnson Instagram: @steviej345

Steve Johnson Twitter: @SJohnson_89