Steve Johnson advances at French Open after father’s sudden passing

A periodic reminder that “life happens” to professional athletes. They hit the ball faster and more accurately than everyone on the planet, but—and we tend to

Jon Wertheim | May 29, 2017

Steve Johnson advances at French Open after father’s sudden passing /

A periodic reminder that “life happens” to professional athletes. They hit the ball faster and more accurately than everyone on the planet, but—and we tend to forget this—they are not immune from existential ups and downs.

Earlier this month, Steve Johnson Sr., a longtime and well-regarded California tennis coach, passed away unexpectedly at age 58. His son, Stevie, took some time off but has returned to his day job playing tennis. The 25th seed, Johnson finished off a darkness-suspended match against Yuichi Sugita and won in five sets today, as his mother, sister and fiancée looked on. “The pain and trying to get through it, it’s just hard…Probably one of the harder matches I’ve played,” he said after the match.

Published May 29, 2017

JON WERTHEIM

Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and has been part of the full-time SI writing staff since 1997, largely focusing on the tennis beat , sports business and social issues, and enterprise journalism. In addition to his work at SI, he is a correspondent for "60 Minutes" and a commentator for The Tennis Channel. He has authored 11 books and has been honored with two Emmys, numerous writing and investigative journalism awards, and the Eugene Scott Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Wertheim is a longtime member of the New York Bar Association (retired), the International Tennis Writers Association and the Writers Guild of America. He has a bachelor's in history from Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in New York City with his wife, who is a divorce mediator and adjunct law professor. They have two children.