Consommate pro Steve Johnson looks back with pride as career ends: "Never felt like I cheated the game of tennis"

America’s former tennis player Steve Johnson has stated that he is retiring from the sport with a satisfaction that he never cheated the sport.

The 34-year-old’s journey in professional tennis came to an end as he lost in the qualifiers of the Indian Wells. Talking about how he felt while quitting the game, Johnson stated that he took that decision with his head held high.

“I think at the end of the day, I’m most proud of the way I was a competitor,” he said. “Never felt like I cheated the game of tennis. Never felt like I left anything up to question. If there was something in my power to do, I did it. I hope when competitors were going over their game plan to play me, their coach would have said, ‘From first ball to last ball, he’s gonna fight you for it.’”

Talking about his immediate objectives after retiring from tennis, Johnson stated that he is going to take some time off.

“The decision to retire here was super easy,” he said. “I grew up coming here as a kid forever. For me, this was always home and its where I wanted to kind of end. I’m very lucky, not everyone gets that opportunity to do it on their terms.

“For now, I’m going to take some time off. Not go to the gym as much. Switch it up, do a lot more pick-ups, drop offs at school. Maybe some more play dates in our future.”