Home Boys' Lists Girls' Lists Men's Teams Women's Teams News Photos Contributors Links Help Sign-UpOnline Store
Latest News | Categories | Authors | News Archives
 
 

News & Features

College Feature
Talking with USC's Steve Johnson
Share:    

Steve Johnson just wrapped up his college career at USC as a four-time NCAA team champion and two-time NCAA singles champion. That's pretty heady stuff, and it puts him in the conversation for greatest college tennis player of all time - or at least the most accomplished.

Harry Cicma, who served as color analyst at the NCAA Championships in Athens, caught up with Johnson after his singles victory.

 

Questions and Answers

Harry Cicma (HC): How does it feel to be a National Champion in Athens?

NCAA Champion Steve Johnson
courtesy, USC Athletics
Steve Johnson (SJ): It's special. Athens has such a long history of tennis, with the Dan McGill Tennis Complex, and all that history. It's a real special way to go out - with a team victory and now in singles.
 

HC: You had to put a lot of miles on your shoes in this event - going the distance in the team and singles events and reaching the quarters of the doubles competition before retiring. How were you able to pull through and get it done?

SJ: I played the big points smart. I was down break points a few times, and I hit a few aces to get out of the jams. I was very opportunistic on a few big points, and I was able to play them well. I was tired - and very glad to have gotten the final done in two sets. (Laughs)

 

HC: You mentioned that you will have a few pro events coming up - in Newport at the Hall of Fame, and others. What are your goals after college tennis?

SJ: I'm going to rest and relax and enjoy this for a few weeks and let the body heal up. The I'll get ready for life on the tour. I'm really looking forward to it.

 

HC: How much do you appreciate playing for this USC team -and for head coach Peter Smith?

SJ: I owe the world to them, for the opportunity to play for this team and to play No. 1. When you win at No. 1, it's worth just as much as the person who is playing No. 6. To have the chance to win four in a row - with this team, the coaches, the training staff - is truly a testament to the university. I can't thank them enough for this great opportunity.

 

Leave a Comment

 

More College Coverage

26-Mar-2025
Wittenberg, Northeastern State Reinstate Tennis Programs
Wittenberg and Northeastern State University have recenty announced plans to reinstate tennis program on their campuses. Wittenberg will bring back both men's and women's tennis while NSU is reinstating men's tennis.

17-Mar-2025
UCF's Guarnieri Grateful for Surprise Scholarship
Donatella Guarnieri was playing club tennis at UCF when women's tennis head coach Bryan Koniecko asked her to join his team. The former four-star recruit was surprised with a scholarship last month during a team meeting.

10-Mar-2025
USTA Florida Donates to Bethune-Cookman's Facility Fund
USTA Florida donated $100,000 to Bethune-Cookman University to help fund the construction of the university's first on-campus facility. The Wildcats currently play matches and hold practices off campus.

 
 College Coverage Index |   Subscribe

 

About Harry Cicma

When it comes to college tennis, Harry Cicma is your man. Cicma covers tennis and other athletic stories for NBC Sports, writing articles and producing video segments.

He is co-founder and host of World Tennis a weekly tennis show on NESN, and host of of Tennis Live Radio's College Corner.

Cicma competed as a junior in USTA/New England and went on to play college tennis at Rutgers University. As a professional, Cicma competed at the ATP Newport tournament and the San Jose Siebel Open. He reached a career-high #75 in the ATP doubles team rankings and #1262 in the ATP Entry System.

In media, Cicma has run the gamut. He has worked for NBC, CBS, ABC, ESPN, FOX Sports Net, the Tennis Channel, and World Team Tennis. Cicma has announced NCAA sports as well as the US Open Tennis Championships on both TV and radio.

 
 YONEX USA
 
Vamos J 2023 | Developing The Next Generation
 
Vamos J is Yonex's elite, high-performance training camp for top juniors. This year, Yonex USA collaborated with GOTTA Tennis and CourtSense to deliver an immersive ...
 
See More
 
RECENT COMMITMENTS
3/28 Landon Ecarma chooses Furman
3/28 Zidaan Hassan chooses Allegheny
3/28 Eugenia Menendez Zozaya chooses USC
3/28 Anna Frey chooses North Carolina
3/28 Jamie Mackenzie chooses TCU
3/28 Riley Crowder chooses Ole Miss
3/28 Laura Cilekova chooses Florida
3/28 Johan Oscar Lien chooses Kentucky
3/28 Ronit Karki chooses Stanford
3/28 Jonas Kucera chooses Notre Dame

Full Listings: Boys' Commits & Girls' Commits

 
 
RECENT HEADLINES
ITA NEWS
THE LATEST FROM ZOOTENNIS
3/30 Payne and Lee Reach Both FILA Easter Bowl 18s Finals, Latak Hopes to Follow in Sister's Footsteps in 16s Final; 14s USTA Hard Court Champion…
3/29 ITF J300 San Diego Recap; No. 1 Seeds Fall in Contrasting Fashion at FILA Easter Bowl; Payne Extends Winning Streak by Eliminating No. 2 Seed Kennedy;…
3/28 Krishnan and Del Mastro Double Up for FILA Easter Bowl 14s Titles; Borchard Sweeps Boys 12s, Dupere Makes Late Charge to Claim Girls 12s; Valdez Ousts…
3/27 Air Quality Alert Leaves Two FILA Easter Bowl 14s Finalists Undecided; Top Seeds Advance to 12s Finals; Second Round Incomplete in 16s and 18s; Blanch…
3/26 FILA Easter Bowl 16s Begins with Harding's Ouster of Top Seed; Auburn Teammates Assist in Pettingell's Win Over No. 2 Seed in 18s; Semifinals…
Colette Lewis has covered topflight junior events as a freelance journalist for over a decade. Read her weekly column, follow her on Twitter, and and find more of her daily commentary at ZooTennis.
 

Page updated on Monday, March 10, 2025
Contact our web team with any corrections