Merritt Johnson is joining the Wildcat staff for the 2016-17 season as a volunteer assistant coach. A former top-40 player in the USTA national men’s rankings, Johnson has over 20 years of tennis coaching experience. He comes to Arizona after spending the last year as a volunteer men's and women's assistant coach at George Washington University. The men's program finished the season 14-9, going 6-0 in conference play and earned a bid to the NCAA Team Championships after winning the Atlantic-10 Championships.
Prior to his time at George Washington, Johnson spent five years at College Park Tennis Training Center as a High Performance Senior Coach, working with nationally and ITF ranked students such as Denis Kudla, Mitchell Frank, Francis Tiafoe and many others.
“Merritt Johnson has a really great tennis mind,” head coach Vicky Maes said. “He brings a wealth of experience to our program and is an asset for our students as well as for us coaches. I like his thoughts on the game and appreciate his input. His decision to join us this year is a win-win for the Cats and I look forward to working with him on a daily basis.”
Before his position at College Park, Johnson spent 15 years coaching at the high school level, leading both the boys and the girls teams. He was the head tennis coach at St. John's College High School in Washington DC from 2006 to 2014, winning eight of nine girls’ championships and finishing with a 112-1 record. In 2007 and 2013, Johnson was named the Girls’ High School Coach of the Year by the Washington Post.
Currently a member of the USPTR with a Professional Rating, Johnson also played on the USTA Professional Satellite Tour and has been a practice partner for several top 300 WTA Tour players.
Johnson played collegiate tennis at Norfolk State University. During his senior year, he helped the team win the CIAA conference, which sent them to the NCAA Division II National Championships.
"I want to thank coach Vicky Maes for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the great program here at Arizona,” Johnson said. “I'm excited about working with the coaching staff and look forward to mentoring our student athletes."
