Steve Johnson says it was ‘hard to see’ what happened to America’s WTA players at Indian Wells

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American tennis is finally on the way back up after many years that have proved barren on both the WTA and ATP Tours.

Madison Keys restored some pride to the female game at the Australian Open as she ended her long way to claim a Grand Slam title.

Keys fell at the semi-final stage at Indian Wells with Aryna Sabalenka getting retribution for the Melbourne final.

The other player to reach the last 16 was Coco Gauff but she does seem to be striving for consistency at the moment as she looks to truly unleash her potential.

Elsewhere for the American women it proved a pretty drab tournament and naturally, it’s caused some disappointment among fans and pundits in the United States.

• READ MORE: Madison Keys has done something she’s not managed for seven years

Steve Johnson makes claim about USA players at Indian Wells

Johnson never managed to win a Grand Slam during his career on the tour and now makes up the Nothing Major podcast.

With USA tennis seemingly back on the map on the female side of things with Keys winning in Australia, the Indian Wells campaign was something that left him frustrated.

He thinks with the number of top players now flying high in the WTA rankings, a few more should have been reaching the business stage of proceedings.

He said: “We have nine girls in the top 32. That is incredible to have but when you are this good and sometimes the success you have prior raises your level of expectation and rightfully so.

“You have a lot of girls in here who could have won the tournament who maybe didn’t have their week or their game, whatever it might be. But we have four ladies in the top 10, so you expect one of them to make a final.

“Madi was in the semis and ran out of gas or just ran into a buzz saw that day, losing to Sabalenka.

“It’s just hard to see because you want them to do so well and you expect them to do well, especially when I was watching from my couch, I am always going to root for the American. So a little bit disappointing for both sides, the men and women.”

Future is still bright for American tennis despite Indian Wells struggles

It’s easy to understand why Johnson got so frustrated watching the American players at Indian Wells with not a great deal going right.

In terms of the men’s game, there are a number of players on the cusp of doing great things at Grand Slam tournaments and perhaps a winner isn’t too far away.

When it comes to the women, it’s easier to understand Johnson’s frustrations, with Indian Wells proving very disappointing to say the least.

Keys did her level best to try and claim another tournament but she’s not really played since the Australian Open and as a result, perhaps some of the other players need to get their act together for the remainder of 2025.