Girls tennis: Avon's Denver Johnson doesn't want to get mad, just to state; junior works on mental approach to lift her already stellar game

There wasn't much Denver Johnson didn't accomplish in her first two varsity seasons. In 2020 she earned the right to play first singles at Avon and has proceeded to win every Southwestern Conference match since, bringing home back-to-back championships and back-to-back league MVP honors while recently eclipsing the 60-win mark for her career in just her junior season. The one goal that's eluded her so far is a state tournament bid. Her first season she finished just shy of the district tournament and last year advanced as a No. 4 seed, losing in the first round. Those matches caused her to approach the offseason with a new focus. "Playing those matches definitely taught me to keep my cool on the court," Johnson said. "There's no way I wanted my attitude to impact my ability to get to state. When I make a mistake, I try to move past it and focus on what specifically I did wrong, focus on the technique issue instead of the fact that I made a mistake." Johnson will once again be one of the top seeds when the Division I Elyria sectional tournament begins today at Medina High School. The tournament continues Thursday at 4 p.m. and concludes Saturday at 9 a.m. Avon recently advanced to the Sweet 16 of the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association state team tournament by beating Massillon Jackson 3-2. The Eagles needed every win, including Johnson's, who defeated Madison Altman — a three-time state qualifier at doubles — 7-5, 6-4 at second singles. She said that last year she probably wouldn't have won that match. "Getting to state has always been my goal, but another goal I've created this year has dealt with my mental game because that's always been my biggest problem," Johnson said. "I've really focused on not getting angry in my matches. It caused me to lose so many matches last year. That's been my biggest goal, to perfect my mental game." While the her mental game may have been the biggest focus, she also worked on improving the net clearance on her forehand and completely overhauled her serve mechanics. Avon coach Eric Korey said her Johnson's first serve has transformed into to a weapon that's given her some easy holds this season. Johnson said she got her toss down perfectly so she could accelerate up on the ball for greater spin and accuracy. "There's a big thing that happens from sophomore to junior year," Korey said. "She's more confident in her own skin now. She is looking to play her game every match and her style of play is different than a lot of high school girls tennis players. She's not worried about what these other girls are doing, she's done a great job of playing her game to her best." The team also needed Johnson to make a sacrifice. Avon's best player her first two seasons she moved to second singles this year when Natalie Smitek — one of the few players in the area with a resume that rivals Johnson's — returned to her home district from Magnificat. Johnson continued her dominance, while giving Avon a nearly unbeatable one-two punch. In fact, the only team that did was Centerville, which has a 1-2 punch of its own so strong the players teamed up to win the Division I state doubles championship last season. And while Avon was eliminated from the OTCA team tournament by Magnificat on Thursday, both Smitek and Johnson produced victories. "I feel honored to be part of such a really good team," Johnson said. "I love being on this team and it's been a great high school experience for me. I'm happy I can help elevate the team even more, and I'm happy that we've all been able to improve as a team." Even playing second singles, the Eagles schedule has challenged Johnson with tough matches throughout the regular season against the likes of North Canton Hoover, St. Joseph Academy, Solon, Westlake, Medina and Centerville. Johnson has only one loss and has won both times she was pushed to a third set. "We're ranked seventh in the state right now and she is a driving factor," Korey said. "I liked her demeanor the entire time. When we were doing summer workouts, she came in expecting to be No. 1. She knew the challenge was great, and when we had tryouts they had a great match. Natalie won and Denver battled her heart out. When it was over, she congratulated Natalie and the next day she came right back ready to work. She has some lofty goals for herself." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on Twitter.