"I went to go back to get my stuff and because of COVID they wouldn't let me back in": Steve Johnson recalls the clay court losses that stung the most

Steve Johnson had his fair share of success on clay, an ATP title in Houston and a run to the third round of the French Open among the highlights, but when prompted by Sam Querrey and John Isner on the Nothing Major podcast, the American instead took a trip down memory lane to recall his worst defeats on the surface.

And, as it turns out, there were a few that still sting, albeit in a way he can now laugh about. Johnson didn’t hesitate when asked for his top three worst clay-court losses on the week of the Madrid Open. “I’ve got three horrific ones, boys, two of which are at the same venue,” he said.

The first came early in his European clay-court experiences at the Bordeaux Challenger, a tournament he remembers fondly for everything except what happened on court. “It’s a great town, great city, great wine, but the draw was stacked,” Johnson explained. “Back then it was the same week as Rome, so all the French guys just outside the top 45 would play there.”

Drawn against Paul-Henri Mathieu, Johnson barely had time to settle before it was over. “That did not go well for me. I lost 1 and 2, very quickly. It was about 41 minutes,” he said. “It wasn’t even like I battled. Maybe a couple of courtesy games. That one always kind of resonates with me because it was such a quick beatdown.”

Remarkably, his return to Bordeaux the following year produced both redemption and another painful memory. “I actually had a great run,” he said. “I beat some really good players, Schwartzman, Goffin, and made the final.”

Waiting for him there was Julien Benneteau, backed by a packed home crowd. “The stadium seats about 3,000 and it was full. The French crowd loves their tennis,” Johnson said. “But he beat me so fast again, I was a little embarrassed. I feel like half the crowd didn’t even make it in before it was over.” A 3-2 scoreline might not sound disastrous on paper, but the speed of the defeat made it stand out. “It was really quick again,” he added. “That one was pretty rough.”

However, even those losses paled in comparison to what Johnson describes as the most “hilarious” defeat of his career, one that came on the biggest stage of all. At the 2020 French Open, played in cold and damp autumn conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson found himself completely out of sorts against Roberto Carballés Baena. “It was freezing, raining, just horrible,” he recalled. “I couldn’t hit a winner. My forehand wasn’t going anywhere.”

The scoreboard told a brutal story. “I lost 1, 1 and 0,” Johnson said. “I was trying so hard just to get a game in the third set so I wouldn’t lose 1, 1, 0. I was trying incredibly hard, but it was just laughable.”

The match was over almost as soon as it began, and Johnson’s exit from the venue was just as swift. “I basically walked straight to the car. I didn’t even go back to the locker room,” he said. “I didn’t break a sweat, it was over so fast.”

That decision, however, led to an unexpected complication the following day. “I went back to get my stuff, and because of COVID protocols they wouldn’t let me back in,” he explained. “I had to sit in the transport area for about an hour while someone went to my locker and got all my belongings.”

Querrey, who was competing at the same time, remembered the day from a different perspective, and initially drew the wrong conclusion. “Peter Smith was coaching both of us,” Querrey said. “I was playing Rublev and battling in a five-setter. Peter went to watch me for a set, then came back and got Stevie ready, then went back to watch my fourth and fifth sets. I remember thinking, ‘Oh, Stevie must have crushed his guy.’ But no, it was the opposite.”

Johnson could only laugh at the memory. “It was so bad,” Querrey added. “He went to your match, came back, got me ready, and then watched me play a five-setter.” The conversation also touched on another heavy defeat at Roland Garros, this time against Dominic Thiem on one of the tournament’s smaller “bullring” courts. “I lost 1, 6 and 4,” Johnson said. “I had set points in the second, but yeah, he smoked me in the first.”

Despite the lopsided nature of some of those results, Johnson was quick to correct one suggestion that his loss to Carballés Baena had come from a “bad draw.” "No, no, if I said that, that was a mistake,” he admitted. “That’s not a bad draw at the French Open. That was a good draw, I just got absolutely smoked.”

Looking back, Johnson is able to see the humour in those difficult days on clay, even if they felt anything but funny at the time. “I’ve taken some bad losses,” he said. “But they’re hilarious to look back on now.” And as his co-hosts were quick to point out, those defeats haven’t defined his career, far from it.