Family-Oriented Monday Excelling on Rocky Top
Preston Jones, UTSports.com
Some probably know him as JoMo. Others call him Johannus, Jo or Monday. That’s Tennessee men’s tennis sophomore standout, Johannus Monday.
A young leader in the Vol tennis program, Monday has thrived in his first two years with the Vols. He arrived at Tennessee as the No. 6 overall U18 prospect in the United Kingdom for the class of 2020, after having reached both the singles and doubles final of the British U18 National Championships in 2019.
In his first season at UT, Monday earned the distinction of 2021 SEC Freshman of the Year, while also earning All-SEC First Team honors.
The accolades didn’t stop there, as Monday was named the ITA National Rookie of the Year, ITA Ohio Valley Region Rookie of the Year, joined the 2021 SEC All-Freshman Team and was a seven-time SEC Freshman of the Week honoree during his debut Tennessee season.
A 2021 ITA Singles All-American, Monday concluded his freshman campaign with a dazzling 32-9 overall singles record to go along with a 27-13 mark on the doubles courts (20-8 in dual matches). The singles sensation also capped off the year by finishing the season ranked as the nation’s No. 9 singles player, with an exceptional record of 23-6 (11-1 SEC) in dual matches.
It was special. I think I always knew I could do it, but I also think there’s a difference between knowing you can do it and actually doing it. Obviously, I did it, so I was very proud of that.
“The favorite part of it for me was getting those awards for my family," Monday said. "I think it made them very proud. It was very special for me to tell my mom, ‘I'm national rookie of the year’ or ‘I'm the seven-time SEC Freshman of the Week.’ It was just very nice for me to tell her. That was the part I enjoyed the most about it.”
He finished the season with 14 victories over ranked singles opponents and in the SEC Tournament, had straight-set wins against South Carolina in the semifinals and Florida in the finals to help Tennessee earn its first SEC Title of any kind since 2010. He would go on to be named a top-eight national seed in the NCAA Singles Championship.
This season, Monday has already logged over 20 singles wins and holds a 12-1 dual match singles record. He concluded the regular season as the nation’s No. 8 singles player, according to the ITA. He rose to a career-best No. 4 in the ITA singles rankings earlier this season.
Going back to when he was 13 years old, Monday moved to Merchiston Castle School, the same Scotland boarding school in which Tennessee associate head coach James McKie attended. Through this, Monday quickly learned to become more independent, gaining valuable experiences there for five years. Monday says that early connection was one of the reasons he chose Tennessee.
“When you’re 13 years old, it’s not easy being away from your family,” Monday said. “I did struggle with that, but it made me grow up. I had to become more independent, so I think that did help a lot. I gained some great friends and it was an incredible environment to be in. It was an all-boys school, so it was just essentially seeing 60 of your best friends them 24/7. It was a lot of fun.”
Monday says his first experiences with tennis came when he was just five years old, and after a few weeks, he fell in love with the sport.
“I was introduced to tennis when I was about five years old,” Monday said. “My mom booked me on a six-week course at my local tennis club, just to get me doing something, being active and making new friends. The first week, I went to it and I actually didn’t enjoy it. I don’t think I actually stepped foot on a tennis court. I was crying in tears for the full 45-minute session on the side of the court.
“When my mom, in the car, asked if I wanted to go back again the next week, I said, ‘No, of course not.’ She had already paid for six weeks of the course and obviously wanted to get her money’s worth, so I went back the next week. I actually did end up going for the six weeks and by the sixth week, I just must have fallen in love with tennis. I didn’t want to get off the courts. It was a big transition in those six weeks.”
As an only child, Monday also played football (soccer) as a left wing, and remains a dedicated fan of the game. Once he turned 12, he needed to make a decision between further pursuing tennis or soccer. Vol fans know his decision.
Majoring in political science, Monday describes himself as aggressive, composed and passionate on the court. Off of it, he considers himself caring, humble and passionate. He says his family is a big reason for his development into who he is today. Being raised by his mom, grandmother and grandfather, Monday is appreciative of the lessons he learned growing up and the memories he made, even as an only child.
“I’ve always lived with my mom, my grandma and my granddad in one house, which has been incredible. I’ve gained some crazy experiences and some memories that I will never forget—both good and bad—but they’ve made me who I am today so I’m very grateful to those three people in my life. I really do appreciate them.
“I'd say my work ethic stems from my family,” Monday said. “My mom, grandma and granddad are all very hardworking people. I think it comes from that. My motivation to work comes from wanting to give back to my family and give them the best life they can possibly have. That is something that definitely fuels me and drives me every day.”
Monday has already taken to heart one key message from head coach Chris Woodruff, and it relates to a daily mentality needed to find sustained success.
“I'm actually going to steal this one from Woody, and this is something he's really ingrained in me but also in the team. It’s to be the best version of yourself each day. Don’t get me wrong, I'm not the best version of myself every day—I don't think anyone is—but you have to strive to be that every day. If you lay your head on the pillow and think, ‘I got pretty close’ or some days you will be the best version of yourself, I think then you can rest easy. That's one of the big things that I've learned from seeing him and working with him.”
Monday’s simple yet effective goal of striving to be the best version of himself each day also stems from his family, who greatly contributed to his meticulous mentality.
An exemplar of this is how Monday posts his tennis goals on his bedroom wall, where he sees them each day. They serve as a reminder of his ‘why.’ While striving to make his family back home proud with strong personal performances, Monday also desires the best for his teammates and the program as a whole.
“My first goal personally, as an individual, is to win the NCAA Singles National Championship and then hopefully finish the year number one in the country. My individual goal outside of college tennis is to hopefully qualify for main draw Wimbledon this year. Then as a team, we want to win the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Those are the goals we want to achieve from now through the rest of the season.”
Clearly, Monday will also pursue a tennis career at the professional level following his years in Knoxville.
On court, Monday doesn’t hold any match day superstitions, except for one key ritual…
I think the only thing I try and do is get organized the day before, stretch and hyrdrate. I just make sure I do all the right things to give me the best chance of winning. That’s my ritual.
Monday’s relationship with Woodruff has flourished since arriving on Rocky Top.
“The thing I love about him the most is when you peel it back, you actually understand that deep-down, he’s just a caring guy and he cares so much about every player,” Monday said. “I think that’s cool to see and that’s something that I really do value in him. Not many people see that in him, but now that I’ve gotten to know him better and we have a good relationship, I really do see that he cares for everybody and at the end of the day, wants the best for everybody.”
At home, Monday always enjoys his mom’s home-cooked meals, especially her elite traybake. He values his family and his desire to succeed exists in humility, looking to honor the work his mom and grandparents put into raising him.
“I haven't really had a father for my whole life,” Monday said. “I lived my mom, my grandma and granddad. We're not rich at all, so it wasn’t an easy start to life, but my mom, grandma and granddad have sacrificed a lot for me to get me to where I am today and I'm very grateful for that. I think that is definitely something that's part of me and something that I am proud of as well.”
“My favorite Tennessee memory has to be our 4-3 win over Florida in the SEC final to win the SEC Championship,” Monday said. “That’s just a memory that you'll never forget for the rest of your life. It's something that will always connect us boys last year to forever, which I think is very cool.”
Monday and the Vols look to begin another successful postseason run Thursday at the SEC Championship, striving to be the best version of themselves.
And doing it all as a family.