Mother-son connection leads to junior success, college scholarship

Noah Johnston has been playing the best tennis of his career this year, traveling the world and competing in some of the world's most historic venues. His major accomplishment this year was claiming the boys’ doubles trophy at the French Open.

Right by his side has been the coach who gave him his first lesson; the person who has provided unconditional support from the start.

Johnston and his mother, Sophie Woorons, make a formidable team. They have forged a partnership that provides Johnston with the perfect combination of coaching acumen and parental guidance without blurring the lines.

Both will be celebrating a collegiate milestone this year. Johnston is beginning his freshman season playing for the Georgia Bulldogs, while Woorons, a former All-American and 1996 ACC Player of the Year, will be inducted into the Clemson Athletics Hall of Fame in November. 

The UGA tennis website cites Johnston’s recent wins, including junior singles and doubles championships at J200 Tampico, a doubles championship at the J300 Barranquilla and a doubles championship at the J300 San Jose. He reached career-high No. 18 in the ITF junior rankings.

Brookstone Meadows Tennis Center

Woorons is the owner and director at Brookstone Meadows Tennis Club in Anderson, S.C. Johnston grew up in the apartment upstairs at the club.

“She obviously put a racquet into my hands and made me fall in love with the sport, but she never pushed me too hard,” Johnston said of his mother. “I felt like I was the one who wanted to play, and she was just being as supportive as she could on the court pushing me, and then off the court, having a nice balance. Cooking me dinner sometimes, even though she's not the best cook.”

“He’s skyrocketing,” Woorons said. “He's worked extremely hard. He has an incredible work ethic. All these shots that he's worked hard to develop, he's able to put them together. His maturity and ability to think on the court has shown a lot of progress.”

Woorons isn’t the only coach aiding Johnston’s development. He’s got a team around him. Woorons’ father, Lucien, who coached her throughout her career, works daily with his grandson. Assistant coaches Max Desmars at Brookstone, along with USTA national coaches, have provided additional guidance whenever needed throughout the years.

“My entire family has been extremely supportive,” Johnston said. “My dad (Andy Johnston) coached Clemson women's tennis, my grandpa coaches me full time, and even hitting balls in the parking lot with my grandma. I felt like tennis just helped us all stay connected and just created so many good memories for us.”

Decision between college and pros

Despite the rich familial history of tennis, Johnston has been able to chart his own journey. He’s been empowered to make independent decisions about his future in the sport, including whether to play college or begin a professional career.

“I didn't really know if I was going to go to college when my recruiting started last year,” Johnston said. “I talked to so many different schools that were all reaching out, but I felt like (the Georgia coaches) had a home there. They had a family that they were building. I felt like they would be good role models in my life, not only as good tennis coaches, but also as good people to be around.”

Johnston didn’t specialize in tennis early in life. He grew up playing basketball, flag football and soccer, among other sports, until he fully committed to tennis.

“I felt like that gave me a lot of advantages seeing and choosing my favorite thing,” he said. “Even now that I have my chosen sport, I still love going to the lake on a day off or playing 18 holes of golf with my dad on Sunday. It’s just great to have some fun in my life.”

Johnston attended public school before switching to online classes two years ago to focus more on tennis and travel.

“I feel like that really helped me be able to have more time to put into my craft. I feel like that's all just been paying off this year with all the tournaments,” he said. “I never thought that I would honestly be traveling as much as I am to every Slam and making finals. I have my French Open finalist doubles trophy in my dorm room right now, and I look at it every day and I just think how lucky I am.”

Woorons is grateful for all the experiences she’s shared with her son through tennis. She believes she “won the lottery when I got Noah.” Being able to watch him develop on and off the court–as a coach and a parent–has been rewarding.

“It’s fantastic,” she said. “The thing is that he is a very nice young man. He has great integrity. He has good manners. He has a lot of friends. He is the kind of person that you want to be around, so as a mom, that makes me very, very proud.”