Ben Johns suffered a skiing accident as a child that left him severely blind in one eye. The MLP Columbus tournament was held indoors in poor lighting conditions, forcing the world number one and his brother, Collin Johns, to withdraw from the MLP Columbus tournament while it was still underway.
This incident not only affected the results of the Carolina Hogs, the team of Ben Johns and Collin Johns at MLP Columbus, but it also caused a big controversy in the world pickleball community.
Ben Johns (right) and Collin Johns (left) lost 0-4 at MLP Columbus on May 1 and left the tournament due to poor lighting (Photo: Getty).
Many people believe that Ben Johns' sudden stop has affected the image of the tournament and many fans. "They have affected a lot of people, including the audience. Who will stand up to refund their tickets?
"The world's top tennis players like Nadal and Djokovic play in much worse conditions, but still complete their matches excellently. As a professional athlete, you can't blame anything to hide your incompetence," said Travis Rettenmaier, a top 50 men's singles player on the World Pickleball Association (PPA) rankings.
Facing criticism, Ben Johns justified his decision to withdraw from MLP Columbus as a precautionary measure. "I made it clear to the organizers that if we played outdoors or if the lighting on the field was improved, I would be happy to play the rest of the tournament.
However, due to insufficient lighting conditions, my eyes were affected. If I continued to compete, the injury would have been more serious," Ben Johns shared on social media.
Ben Johns is one of the world's top pickleball players. With over 120 career titles, Ben Johns has earned a huge amount of money from the tournaments he has participated in.
According to statistics, the American tennis player's income until the end of 2024 is 2.5 million USD (more than 64 billion VND). Besides, he also has many sources of income from sponsors and advertising contracts.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/ben-johns-lan-dau-len-tieng-ve-viec-bat-ngo-bo-giai-do-thi-luc-kem-20250507103012011.htm
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