Forget American men struggling to advance into the second round of the U.S. Open. Some can’t even finish the match.
A day after Jack Sock was forced to quit because of a calf injury when trailing two sets to one, another American, Steve Johnson, was leading 2-6, 6-5, 7-5, 1-4 against qualifier Tatsuma Ito, but was unable to overcome a series of cramps in the heat, and couldn’t continue his match.
Down 2-1 in the fourth set, Johnson collapsed on the court. He played the next game but it wasn’t pretty, as every shot he took appeared to be painful. During the next changeover, he collapsed on the court before going to the sidelines in agony, yelling in pain and getting his legs massaged. After he retired, a wheelchair came on the court, but Johnson refused to get in it and walked off the court under his own power.
“That’s the first match I’ve ever had to retire from,” he said. “I’m not going to leave in a wheelchair.
“My right calf just kind of went out of nowhere and then it all just started to go. … It’s not the end of the world, but it feels like it now.”
Johnson, who attended USC, won NCAA titles in 2011 and 2012, but his pro career hasn’t been as decorated. In 10 Grand Slams, he has only gotten past the first round twice.
The 24–year-old from Orange, Calif., is ranked 51st and is also in the men’s doubles draw with Sam Querrey. They are scheduled to play Thursday afternoon, but judging by Johnson’s health, that match is very much in doubt.
Coupled with Ryan Harrison’s straight-set loss Tuesday, there are just three American men — John Isner, Querrey and Tim Smyczek — left in the singles draw, as nine of the 12 who made the main draw have been eliminated.
“To be in a position like that, I really didn’t feel anything coming, Johnson said. “I wish I could have played through it. I tried but it didn’t look very good. It sucks at the end of the day.”