Steve Johnson had already gone through the emotional ringer at Roland Garros on Monday, when he won his first match at a major since the sudden passing of his father. "The last two weeks of tennis hasn’t been about tennis for me," the 27-year-old American said during a difficult press conference.
Johnson's emotions ran high again on Wednesday, when he faced Borna Coric. They were because of his great loss, of course, but also because of a controversial ruling by the chair umpire in the fourth set, with Johnson two points from winning the match. Johnson, who had already been given a conduct warning after annihilating his tennis racquet, was docked a point for ball abuse at 5-4, deuce. Incredulous, Johnson argued with the official, as well as a tournament supervisor, but to no avail.
It was something of a surprise to see Johnson keep it together long enough to eventually win the match in a subsequent tiebreaker, after losing four match points. He didn't keep it together for much longer, and he same could be said for Coric: