Multiple factors go into determining how long a player can keep winning matches in a row: among them, skill, luck and health.
For world No. 28 Steve Johnson, everything fell perfectly into place his last two years at the University of Southern California, as he won 72 matches in a row to record the longest stretch of success ever in college tennis.
“The Streak,” a new short film from FloSports, looks back on the run with commentary from Johnson and his college coach, Peter Smith, starting from his freshman year to his last college match (which was a victory, of course).
At the start, “I was trying to figure out how good Steve was,” Smith said. Playing mostly in the middle of the lineup his first year, the American notched a 35-13 record.
The film offers glimpses of Johnson in action early on, showing just how much he wore his emotions on his sleeve. It's quite the opposite of how he behaves off the court.
“Off the court, I’m really one of the most laid-back people; I’m not very competitive,” Johnson said.
“He’s not an arrogant kid, but there was an arrogance about him and everybody knew,” Smith said.
As USC was winning national championships every year, and Johnson won the individual title as junior, the question on everyone’s mind was whether or not Johnson was going to come back for his senior year or turn pro.
He did return—in emphatic fashion, keeping the streak alive.
By the time the NCAA singles championship rolled around, and after USC had won its fourth team title in a row, things seemed a little dicey regarding Johnson’s prospects to end on a high note as pressure, illness and injury all bogged him down.
Advancing to the singles final, he faced Eric Quigley of Kentucky and won in straight sets for his second individual title and 72nd consecutive victory.
“The emotion I felt after that match was pure elation,” Johnson said. “I was just so happy that it was over. It was such a weight lifted off my shoulders.”
With college tennis conquered, it was time to make a run at professional tennis. Over the years, he’s reached some significant milestones, such as winning a singles title and being the top-ranked American male. He has yet to match his college success, but it's questionable if that's even possible given how stunning his USC career was.
“I would’ve never guessed in a million years that I’d win 72 matches to finish my college career,” Johnson said.
