Shortly after winning his second career title in Houston, Steve Johnson suffered his greatest loss.
The American’s father, Steve Johnson Sr., passed away suddenly in May. Grieving, the younger Johnson made the trip to Europe with his mother, sister and fiancée.
At the French Open, Johnson worked his way through a five-set opening match over two days against Yuichi Sugita. Afterward, Johnson explained his current state of mind as he tried to balance playing with such a devastating loss, saying, “The last two weeks of tennis hasn’t been about tennis for me.”
In the second round, Johnson faced Borna Coric, winning in a fourth-set tiebreak. The late stage of the match was a topsy-turvy affair, and after it was completed, Johnson released his pent-up emotions for the world to see.
As he walked off the court, the Tennis Channel’s Jon Wertheim interviewed Johnson, where the world No. 25 laid his emotions out to bare.