Tennessee tennis player Johannus Monday will be playing in one of the most famous tennis tournaments in the world. Johannus found out he’ll be playing on the sacred grounds of Wimbledon. Monday has to win three qualifying matches to compete in the singles event of the tournament however he is locked in the doubles portion of the tournament.
Regardless of if Monday can win the three games necessary to be one of the 16 players to qualify for the Wimbledon singles event, he already made the main draw as a doubles competition with partner Jacob Fearnley from TCU. The pair won the men’s doubles title at the Nottingham Open after only about a week of playing together, which earned them a wild card spot at Wimbledon. Monday can’t contain his excitement about being this close to realizing his dream.
“It’s been my dream to play at Wimbledon since I was a young kid,” Monday said. “I guess it’s going to be a dream come true for me.” “When I think about it, it honestly puts a big smile on my face,” Monday said. “I’ve been [to Wimbledon] as a fan and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be there as a player, and all the feelings that come with it.”
Monday is not the first UT player to compete on the famed courts London England. J.P. Smith of Australia and Tennys Sandgren of Tennessee also have competed there, as have other UT players. Sandgren made it all the way to the fourth round in 2019.