Johannus Monday interview: Yorkshire's Wimbledon debutant on his blemish-free finals record and his journey from Hull

“I want someone big on centre court,” says the 23-year-old, as thoughts turned towards Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jannick Sinner. He very nearly got his wish, the No 13 seed Tommy Paul of the United States.

Whoever he drew the East Yorkshireman with an American twang to his accent after four years spent honing his game at the University of Tennessee will tackle this huge opportunity in the same manner.

“Just to go out and leave it all out on the court,” Monday said on Thursday after a practice session on the Wimbledon grass.

“I see it as a great opportunity and a great experience but it’s my job so I’ve got to go out there and perform as well as I can.”

Not yet well-known to the British sporting public, next week at SW19 could change that with a few victories on the sacred lawns.

He certainly has pedigree of performing when it matters most. In this, his first year as a professional, he has reached six finals on the Challenger Tour and won them all. Prior to that, he won two at the end of his second year at Tennessee, when he was still an amateur. Eight finals, eight wins. And he hasn’t even dropped a set.

He could sell that to a few up the food chain in the Wimbledon clubhouse this week.

“Long may it continue,” he smiles when asked about the record.

“Honestly I don’t know why. I think I just show up when it matters. I don’t fear those situations.”

Delve a little deeper into his tennis journey and the winning mentality becomes apparent. For Monday is someone who is not afraid to take himself out of his comfort zone and challenge himself.

Born and raised in Kingston-upon-Hull, he was first introduced to tennis on a summer camp at Cottingham Lawn Tennis Club at the age of five.

“My mum just signed me up for six weeks by the end of the summer I loved it,” he recalls.

“I played football, I loved being outdoors playing sports, but I liked the individuality of tennis, how it’s just yourself out there, you’re not relying on anyone else, it’s just you versus an opponent.”

He was talented, but tennis is expensive and the Mondays - says Johannus - were not wealthy.

“My mum was incredibly supportive, she and my grandparents made a lot of sacrifices,” he says.

“We didn’t have the money to travel to a lot of tournaments growing up so I was a bit of a late bloomer in that regard. But thankfully I had good people around me.”

He also had a strong mind. At the age of 13 he went to a boarding school in Edinburgh on a tennis scholarship.

“Edinburgh wasn’t just about tennis, it was also a great opportunity at a great academic school,” says Monday who will also play doubles with fellow Brit David Stevenson at Wimbledon.

“It was a big step and it wasn’t an easy decision for my family and I but it was definitely the right one.”

After five years, and in the Covid summer, he set off again, this time to the University of Tennessee, where his tennis scholarship was complemented by a degree in political science.

Those nine years, the last four in particular, were essential in shaping his mentality.

“You get treated incredibly well so in return the expectations are incredibly high,” says Monday and was ranked the No 1 college player in America at one stage.

“That played a big part in my mentality. My coaches had high standards and they expected a lot from me and that really did seep into my character as well.”

Since graduating he has based himself in London, training at the national tennis centre at Roehampton.

He gets back to Hull when he can - “I need to get the Yorkshire accent back into the DNA,” he laughs - but the life of a fledgling professional has taken him around the world.

“I’ve loved it, loved every second of it. It’s such a cool experience. I get to travel the world and see some amazing places, so there’s not too much to complain about,” says Monday.

“My game hasn’t improved necessarily, it’s just about being more solid with my game and being able to reproduce it week in, week out. I’m starting to understand my game more. And I’ve got good people around me.

On receiving the wildcard for Wimbledon, he says: “I was ecstatic. A lifelong dream come true.

“But this time next year I don’t want to be relying on a wildcard, I want to be at Wimbledon on merit.”