Centre Court: by Johannus Monday
JoMo's Humble Beginnings and a Cemented Legacy
Aim for the moon, but if you don't make it all the way there, you'll land in the stars. That's what Woody (head coach Chris Woodruff) has taught me. I hold myself to a high standard, so I don’t think I’ve quite hit the moon yet, but I've fallen in the stars. And I'll take that.
I didn’t know four years could go by so quickly. In the same breath, it feels like ages ago that I was a hesitant, 18-year-old freshman flying across the world to America to begin this journey. I’m indebted to this University and this program. We’ve accomplished so much in my four seasons, and I will forever treasure my experiences with Tennessee tennis.
I don't usually get emotional, because I'm a driven person who’s always shifting my focus to the next thing. That's just who I am as a person. But as I write this, I can’t help but feel the emotions pour in from everything I’ve been able to be a part of over the last four years of my life.
I took some time to reflect over the days following our last home match, a win over Florida State in the NCAA Super Regional. I was very emotional on the phone with my mum. I shed some tears, which doesn't happen often. I think it just shows how much this University means to me. I never thought I'd be able to achieve any of this. I reminded my mum on that phone call that we didn't even think I would be able to afford to go to any university in America. None of them wanted me. Not only did I get the scholarship I needed, I got it at one of the best tennis schools in the country.
I used to not even think about the possibility of achieving all that I have, simply because I didn't think it was possible. I feel extremely proud to be a Vol for Life.
Not many people are aware of this, but growing up was tough at times. I was raised in the most loving of homes, but we weren’t as fortunate as others around us. I lived with my mum, my grandma, and my grandfather the whole of my life. They would go without a lot of things to support my tennis. I love all three of them unconditionally. It was difficult at times, but I had such loving people around me. That’s how I was shaped into who I am today. My mum raised me all on her own and she is my absolute rock. My family means everything to me, and I was very fortunate to get to the place that I got to. I was able to go to a boarding school on a full bursary and I went to Tennessee on a full scholarship. Without those opportunities, I would not be where I am today.
My grandma, who was battling severe Vascular dementia for 10 or so years, sadly passed away whilst I was at Tennessee. She was such an important person in my life, and I think if you knew some of the things she and I went through together, you would be shocked.
Another thing that made me emotional when I called my mum after the Super Regional was recalling a story about my grandfather. He was always very engaged with my tennis, and he gave me everything he had to give. I remember on the day he passed away, I was truly thankful to make it to him beforehand. Once we were updated on his developing situation, my mum and I drove to the hospital but had to park the car miles away, because that’s the only place we could find to park. I was running next to my mum, but she was struggling to keep up. She knew our time was limited, so she told me to go on ahead.
Once I got there, he was still alive. I truly believe he was waiting for me before he would leave this world. That morning, I had actually signed my papers to play for Tennessee. So, the last thing I ever showed him were those papers. It was a very special and touching moment for us both. I remember telling him that I was going to make him very proud, that he helped get me to where I am and without him, none of it would be possible.
It means a lot—after everything I have achieved—to know that I stuck to the promise that I made to him. I am very proud of what I've achieved not because I have achieved it, but because of how hard I have worked and how I have made my mum and family proud by not just being a good tennis player, but by being the best person I can be.
I believe that I have ticked the boxes of being respectful, kind, and having a strong work ethic, and that is what has made my mum the most proud. In hand, that is what makes me the most proud about my time at Tennessee.
My first experience with the sport of tennis was when I was five years old. My mum booked me into a six-week course at my local tennis club. I don't think I picked up a racquet the first week. I didn’t even step foot on the court because I was so scared and just really didn't want to. I was fully in tears. I didn't want to go back the next week, but my mum wanted me to because she had already prepaid for the six weeks, and she wanted to get her money's worth. So, she made me go back for the next few weeks.
Thank goodness she did.
During the second week, I still didn't go on the court, but by the third week, I did. Then, by the sixth week, I just fell in love with tennis.
In the early stages of my tennis journey—maybe from when I was eight or nine—I pursued it more as a passion than anything else. Throughout my junior development, I started having dreams of playing professionally.
While those were more like dreams than goals at the time, I kept playing tennis and working hard to try and achieve those dreams. Throughout my teenage years, I never fully knew if playing tennis professionally was a dream or a goal of mine. Maybe a bit of both. I started to realize I could realistically pursue a tennis career when I was 16 or 17, hence why I was looking into universities in America. It was a good option for me to get a degree and keep improving my tennis.
However, my family and I didn't know exactly how coming to an American university would be possible for me, to be honest. I needed a full scholarship, or I couldn’t come. That was just the reality of it. I remember having a lot of deep and intense conversations with my mum and my coach at the time about how we just didn't think it was going to be possible for me to get to America. At one point, we were looking at British universities because we didn't think America was an option.
I was really lucky that an agent was willing to support me in my pursuit to come across the pond to an American University. With her help, coaches started to reach out a little bit. Not to sound rude or arrogant, but I had a lot of schools maybe not as good as Tennessee reach out to me, so we were looking at those options. But I'm a big believer and I have high standards for myself, so I had the agent who I was working with reach out to some of the top schools. After all, the worst thing they can say is ‘no’.
They all did say no.
I remember a lot of the top-10 schools at the time simply said I wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t good enough to have earned the kind of scholarship that I needed. That was probably fair enough, to be honest, because my results were not there. I didn't play junior tournaments because I didn't have the money to. So, I was very limited in my exposure.
James McKie, our associate head coach, went to the same boarding school in Edinburgh, Scotland that I went to in high school. I did that from ages 13-18. He went there many years before me, but we shared the same coach.
My coach at the time was kind of begging James to come over and visit me, because he really believed in me and felt that I deserved an opportunity. I don't think James was very persuaded at the time. He wasn’t very keen on flying over to Scotland to watch me, but his family lives in Edinburgh, so he thought ‘I'm going to see my family. I will kill two birds with one stone, and I will come and watch him.’ So, he did. After 20 minutes, he said he believed in me and that he would love for me to play at Tennessee.
He saw the potential in me, and he believed that Tennessee would be able to unlock that potential.
Once I finally arrived in Knoxville, I didn't have as much confidence as I should’ve had. I was a very nervous and shy person. That's the biggest thing that I have developed over time here. I now believe in myself because I'm capable of very special things.
In my first year here, I know, looking from the outside in, I had a lot of success. Obviously, with being the National Freshman of the Year, people think I had it all figured out, but I didn't. I had a lot of mental demons. I was always thinking, ‘What's this person in the crowd thinking? What are the coaches thinking? What are the people watching back home thinking? If I lose this, what are they going to think of me?’ I was having a lot of mental battles that a lot of people didn't know about. I cared too much about what people thought.
Now—and I hope this doesn't sound bad—I don't really care what other people think because as long as I feel that I am doing the right things and doing what my mum asks of me—trying my best and being kind and respectful—then that's all I can ask of myself. I don't need other people to validate me anymore.
Once I got settled in Knoxville, professional tennis shifted from a dream to a goal of mine. I started viewing tennis as my job because, I knew at that point, it is going to be my job.
Tennis is my passion, but as I am writing this, it is now my job. However, as the saying goes, ‘You never work a day in your life if you love what you do.’ This is absolutely true for me. If you were to look at my Notes app on my phone, it is filled with thoughts and ideas on my tennis. Right now, in my 'to work on' section of the app, there are around 40 things that I can work on in my game. The list never gets shorter; it's always growing. That's good, because I have high expectations for myself, and I know I can improve on a lot of things. I am never satisfied with where I am because I am chasing the moon, not just the stars. My point for saying this is that I'm always thinking about my tennis and how I can improve.
When I’m about to fall asleep, I think, ‘I need to change this on my serve’ or ‘I could have done this better in that match.’ That’s honestly how my brain works. It's always thinking about what's next or how I can improve. As a result, the real reason why I've been able to find success in this sport is because I have a true passion for tennis.
The thing a lot of people have said to me during college that I don't really agree with is, ‘You’re more than just an athlete. You're a human’. While that might be true, the way I see it is that I'm a tennis player. You can judge who I am based on my tennis. That's not in terms of results. I think results take care of themselves, but it's in terms of how I treat my opponents, my teammates and how I approach my work. I think you can gauge me based on who I am as a tennis player. I have no issues being labeled a tennis player—a professional tennis player—because I love it.
I have big goals in this sport and I’m going to work very hard to try and achieve them. I’m confident in who I am. That doesn't mean I can't have a life outside of tennis, but I love what I do.
Someone asked me once the season ended if I had ever envisioned leaving such a legacy at any university in America. My answer was, ‘No, not at all.’ The moment I saw that I had been ranked No. 1 nationally, I stopped what I was doing, and I called my mum. I wanted her to hear it from me since she is the most important person in my life. I didn’t want her to just see it on social media.
So, we had that special moment, and I am still extremely proud of that feat. I’m a team player first and foremost and hate to get caught up in the personal accolades, but this is something I am truly proud of being able to accomplish during my time at Tennessee. Still, that’s not my end goal. I’m not satisfied because I have not reached my end goal, yet.
Not only one of the best days of my time at Tennessee, but one of the best days of my life was winning the SEC Tournament during my first year here. I can remember it like it was yesterday. That feeling of winning with those guys that day is something I will truly cherish for the rest of my life.
The emotions I felt that day were special. Tennis is typically an individual sport; however, in college, that is different. Winning as a team is a totally different feeling than winning just for yourself. You are playing for something bigger than yourself. Suiting up with the rest of the guys on the team is the best feeling, knowing they have your back, and you have theirs. I am going to miss this feeling greatly.
College tennis has completely changed my life for the better. I have matured a lot as a person. Before I came to college, I wasn't a very confident person. That's what I struggled with quite a lot. It’s not just because of the on-court successes I've had with my tennis that's made me confident, but by pushing myself each day, it has allowed me to grow and develop as a person and find my identity.
I had untapped potential when I arrived here four years ago. Tennessee got that potential out of me.
My first of many thank-yous is to my family. I think I have a lot of families now. I have a Tennessee family. I have my friends who I consider family, but my true family is my mum, my grandma and my grandad. They mean the absolute world to me because I just grew up with those three. We have had some amazing times, but we've also had some tough times as well. We've always stuck through it as a family, and we love each other so much. That will never change, no matter where we are in the world, in heaven, or wherever.
They sacrificed so much for me as a person and as a tennis player. They went without buying themselves things because they put that towards myself and my tennis. That touches me a lot and I am forever grateful for them. I love them so much. I want to continue making them proud and eventually give them the life that I feel they deserve.
I can't really thank them enough. I just hope my actions show that.
I want to send a massive thank you to Woody. He has been the father that I never had. He hasn’t treated me just like a player; he’s treated me like a son also. I'm immensely grateful to him. I love his family very much. I see them as being my family over in America. Woody and I have clashed—and I don't mind saying that—but it’s because we both care so deeply, and we occasionally come at it from different points of view. Still, that doesn't mean we don't love each other less. It means we love each other more because we care so much about each other that we just want what's best. We know that we both love each other and there's nothing that I would not do for him or his family. I know that's very reciprocal.
He taught me to aim to be the best version of myself every day. He told me from day one that I’m capable of more than I believe, and I have taken that to heart.
Thank you to James because he took that risk of flying over to come watch me. He didn't have to, and he took a big chance on me by giving me the scholarship. I'm beyond grateful for that. He has helped me in so many ways. If I ever needed someone, I turned to him, and he was always there for me. He was always trying to make my life better on and off the court. He's part of my family now. Who knew when he flew all the way to Scotland to come watch me play that four years from then he would be watching me from my player's box at a Grand Slam?
Thanks to Jaime (Barajas), because I think he's a great person and a great coach. I've only been with him for a year, but I think he's exactly what the program needs. I know I can turn to him with whatever I need in my life.
I want to thank Coach (Brad) Roll because I think he's amazing. He's a great person. I loved my 6 a.m. workouts with him. He has a fantastic character and is a great person. He’s cared so much about my teammates and I’m very grateful for him. He’s not only made me physically stronger, but also mentally stronger as the person I am today.
There have been countless others who have helped me along the way—Denise Jilka in the Thornton Center, Yosef Presburger, our athletic trainer, and everyone else who makes the program the success it is today. There are so many to thank.
I also would like to thank Dr. Joe Whitney. During my freshman year, I was winning a lot, but perhaps I was not the best mentally. I decided to work very hard with Dr. Joe, and I appreciate him putting up with me for over three years. He has helped me so much mentally in terms of my belief. We work very hard on my mental side because I believe it is incredibly important in high-intensity sports. I remember I lost in the NCAA individual tournament at the end of my sophomore year. I felt terrible. The first person I called after the match was Dr. Joe. I said, ‘Joe, I can't keep doing this. I need to fix it’. So, we fixed it by coming up with a plan. It didn't change overnight, but we took little steps. I remember that summer I stayed in Knoxville to train; he put me in ice baths every day so that I could work on meditating. If I needed him at 6 a.m., I could call him. If I needed him at midnight, I could call him. He was there for me. I fully trust him, and I now know that I have someone to turn to for the rest of my life.
Thank you to the University. What it has done for me is unbelievable. I have earned a degree, along with what I have achieved in tennis. I'm going to be a Vol for Life. I could not be more proud and more thankful for what's happened in these last four years.
I want to thank all of my teammates. They pushed me to be the best version of myself and I hope I've done the same to them. Thank you for the memories we have made together. I have memories, friends and family for life now because of you all. I love you all so much. No year sticks out to me more than another. I loved each of my four chapters at Tennessee equally because of you all.
I also would like to say thank you to the Tennessee fans and fans across the college tennis landscape who supported me, as well. They came out to watch us play every weekend and they really did help. They've gotten me through some tough moments in matches. In my four years at Tennessee, I have lost just two home singles matches and am undefeated in such matches over my final three seasons. There must be a reason for that. The fans played a huge part in that. I'm very grateful to them for always supporting me. And I know I'm not the loudest guy or the most vocal guy in terms of getting the fans involved, but I hope at times I've given them some good tennis to watch.
Although, I’m not sure that I would call them “fans” anymore. I know a lot of them now and I’ve gotten close with some of them. I look at them more as friends. So, I’d say thank you to my friends.
I also have to give a big thanks to my high school coach, Nathan Lundy. He was like a father figure to me, and still is. He helped me improve greatly and he believed in me when I didn't even have that belief within myself. Thank you to everybody who has been involved with my tennis because it's not just me. It's not just one person. It's a lot of people.
Upon beginning this post-Tennessee journey, the most important thing for me is trying to improve my ranking to the point which I think it should be at. I think I'm playing at a very high level. So, I want to get to that level as quickly as possible and then build from there.
My focus now is simply to work hard and improve, because I think that's what I'm good at. If I keep doing that, good things will happen. It's about me just trying to keep working towards my ultimate goal.
Until next time, JoMo signing off.
Go Vols.
Monday concluded his collegiate career at Tennessee this spring as a six-time ITA All-American, earning four singles honors and two doubles recognitions.
Those six All-America honors for Monday are the second-most in Tennessee program history, behind only John-Patrick Smith, who earned eight such honors as a singles and doubles All-American in each of his four years on Rocky Top.
He earned the 2023 and 2024 SEC Player of the Year Awards, becoming just the fourth player in conference history to garner the honor in back-to-back seasons. He also ascended to No. 1 in the national ITA singles rankings during the 2024 spring season.
Monday was awarded All-SEC First Team status in each of his four seasons.
Capping his four-year career with a 105-25 (33-4 SEC) singles record, Monday was 47-7 (21-2 SEC) at the No. 1 singles lineup position. Those 105 victories put him at No. 12 on Tennessee’s all-time singles wins listing.
In year one on Rocky Top, he tallied seven SEC Freshman of the Week awards, along with eventually earning the SEC Freshman of the Year and ITA National Rookie of the Year Awards.
On the doubles courts, he posted a 90-34 (24-9 SEC) career mark and was 38-10 (16-5 SEC) at the No. 1 doubles slot. He attained a career-high national doubles ranking of No. 2 alongside Pat Harper in 2023.
Tennessee reached the NCAA semifinals for the seventh and eighth times in program history during Monday’s career, doing so in back-to-back seasons—2021 and 2022.
Tennessee’s season results during Monday’s career…
2020-21: 28-4 (10-2 SEC), SEC Tournament Champions, NCAA Semifinals
2021-22: 26-8 (8-4 SEC), NCAA Semifinals
2022-23: 23-8 (10-2 SEC), NCAA Round of 16
2023-24: 25-7 (10-2 SEC), NCAA Quarterfinals
