As Steve Johnson retires, American picks his greatest opponent: "Federer's so far above everybody else"

American tennis player Steve Johnson may have hung up his racket at the 2024 Indian Wells tournament, but not before picking Roger Federer as the toughest opponent he had ever faced.

Johnson played his final match at Indian Wells, falling in the qualifying stages for singles and losing in the opening round in the doubles event. The 34-year old teamed with compatriot Tommy Paul but the duo fell to the team of Nikola Mektic and Wesley Koolhof, bringing Johnson's successful career to an end. The California native won four ATP singles titles on tour, in addition to a bronze medal alongside countryman Jack Sock at the 2016 Olympics.

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Federer's tactics on court were difficult to overcome, says Johnson

Although Johnson had faced all members of the Big Three, including Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, the former World No.21 admitted Federer was his most difficult opponent. He has a 0-3 record against the Swiss Maestro, but praised Federer for his tactical genius during play.

"For me, the toughest player was Roger to play against just because I played Novak only once, Rafa once," said Johnson. "To see how Roger played me once, the second time I played him, I almost beat him here, lost 6 and 6, had some chances and then the next time I played him, the differences he made in his game, beat me like a drum. I left the court thinking, like, what he was able to do from the last time I played him, how he changed his strategy, and what he did was one of the most remarkable things for me. That he's just so far above pretty much everybody else in the world at not only being a tennis player but tactically, how he could get me into situations where I was in big trouble."