Steve Johnson sobs after defeating Borna Coric in the second round of the French Open. EPA
It was a tale of two emotions.
American tennis hopeful Steve Johnson, grieving the recent death of his father, broke down in tears after surviving a fourth-set tiebreak to beat tantrum-throwing emerging star Borna Coric, 6-2, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, on Wednesday in the second round of the French Open.
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Johnson’s father, Steve Johnson Sr., died unexpectedly at age 58 in his sleep on May 11. Steve Sr., a well-regarded coach in California, had introduced his son to tennis at the age of 2, and helped guide him to college tennis at USC and eventually onto the pro tour, according to Tennis.com.
So when Johnson laced a final forehand winner past Coric, he dropped to his knees and sobbed on the red clay.
“I just miss my dad. I wish he was following along, I know he is from upstairs,” Johnson said through tears in a post-match interview with Tennis Channel. “It’s just so emotional, it’s hard to describe. I just knew he was looking down on me on that last point and gave me the strength to finish it off.”
On the other end of the court, Coric smashed his racket to pieces in a stunning display of opposing emotions in a heated match. Coric later apologized on Twitter for his actions.
The match had featured the usual dramatics, especially for Johnson. A questionable ruling by the chair umpire docked a point from Johnson in the fourth set at 5-4 for ball abuse. That helped the match go to a tight tiebreak, where Johnson prevailed.
Johnson pulled out of the tournament in Rome two weeks ago after receiving word about his father’s death. Last week he played a warmup tournament in Geneva, where he reunited with his mom, sister and his fiancée. Johnson said they had been planning a family trip to Paris for a few years after his sister graduated from college.
“Physically, I’m OK, emotionally, I’m a mess,” said Johnson, who will face sixth-seeded Dominic Thiem in the third round on Friday. “He always wanted me to be a fighter and a competitor, so that’s what I’m going to do, day in and day out. That’s the only thing I can do.”
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