The Open Era
United States · born Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1968 · Wimbledon mixed doubles champion 2000 and men's doubles champion 2001
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2
Wimbledon titles in successive years, mixed 2000 and doubles 2001
4
Match points saved in the 2001 Wimbledon quarter-final
23
Tour doubles titles
1992
Turned professional, after graduating from North Carolina
34
His age as the oldest player in the year-end doubles top 10
Johnson was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1968 and grew up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mt. Lebanon. He played four years at the University of North Carolina, where he was first-team All-ACC as a senior, and graduated in economics in 1990.
He turned professional in 1992 and became a doubles specialist, winning 23 tour titles. He won the Wimbledon mixed doubles with Kimberly Po in 2000 and the season-ending Masters Cup with Piet Norval that year. In 2001, his best season, he won the Wimbledon men's doubles with Jared Palmer and five Masters Series titles. He retired in 2003 and returned to North Carolina as an assistant coach.
| Wimbledon mixed final, 2000 | Seeded eighth with Kimberly Po, beat Lleyton Hewitt and Kim Clijsters 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon doubles final, 2001 | Seeded fourth with Jared Palmer, beat Jiřà Novák and David Rikl 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6); rain stopped the final at 4-4 in the first set on the Saturday and it was finished on the Sunday |
| Quarter-final escape, 2001 | Beat Joan Balcells and Sander Schalken 3-6, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, after saving four match points in the fourth set |
| Wimbledon invitation doubles | With Palmer, won the gentlemen's invitation doubles in 2008 and 2010 and was runner-up in 2009 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Mixed doubles | with Kimberly Po |
| 2001 | Men's doubles | with Jared Palmer |
| Nottingham | ||
| 2000 | Men's doubles | with Piet Norval |
| 2001 | Men's doubles | with Jared Palmer |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 2001
Rain suspended the 2001 men's doubles final on the Saturday at 4-4 in the first set. When it resumed on the Sunday Johnson held serve and he and Palmer broke to take the set. In the fourth they saved two set points before taking the tiebreak with the last three points.
Source: University of North Carolina Athletics, 8 July 2001Chapel Hill
Johnson's 2001 title made him the first North Carolina graduate to win a men's Grand Slam doubles title since Fred McNair at the 1976 French Open. He was coached at Wimbledon that year by the UNC head coach, Sam Paul.
Source: University of North Carolina Athletics, 8 July 2001Wimbledon 2001
In the quarter-finals Johnson and Palmer trailed Joan Balcells and Sander Schalken by two sets and faced four match points at 5-6 in the fourth set. They won the next two sets.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025 (AELTC)Juniors
Johnson won the Pennsylvania high school singles title in 1984, and in 1986 he received the Sportsmanship Award at the USTA National Junior Championships.
Source: Donald Johnson, WikipediaFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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