"I feel very proud of what I accomplished": American tennis star Steve Johnson announces retirement

With so many talented young tennis stars on the rise, another member of the old guard has decided to hang up his racket, as American tennis star Steve Johnson announced his retirement prior to this year's Indian Well event.

The California native played the final singles match of his career in the Indian Wells qualifiers, falling to compatriot Emilia Nava in three sets. Although the 34-year old will play doubles alongside countryman Tommy Paul, he made it clear that this was his final tournament and he would retire from professional tennis following his doubles exploits.

Reaching a career-high ranking of World No.21, Johnson captured four ATP titles during his career. Furthermore, the American won the bronze medal in men's doubles at the 2016 Olympic games, alongside compatriot Jack Sock. He became the highest ranked American that year, and during 2014-18 he finished inside the year-end Top 50.

"For me it's just the culmination of everything that's been basically my life, tennis itself, for multiple decades,” Johnson said of the moment he walked off the court after his loss. “To have [my family] here, this is why this venue and this event is so special to me. I grew up coming here as a kid with my dad and family every year. To see how it's grown and see everything that this event has turned into, from where it started, this has always been my favourite place to be. There was no other place that I really wanted my last tournament to be. It was here, and I'm very fortunate that I was able to make that a reality.
Maybe as a kid you set unrealistic expectations, because everybody dreams big. They want to be the best, as any kid I feel like should. Obviously hindsight is going to be important here, but I feel as if I sit here now very proud of what I accomplished, I felt like I did just about everything I could in my power to either rectify mistakes that I made, playing or all the things that go into playing tennis. I feel like I left no stone unturned. And for me, that's the most important piece. I don't want to look back and have any regrets or wish I would have done X, Y and Z. So for me, I feel very proud of what I accomplished. To have the career I had, the accomplishments and everything is super fun to look back on. But knowing that my wife and girls may not ever remember me playing tennis, but they will [see those things], that means the most to me.”