“Homeless” Steven Johnson Likes The Professional Tour

Written by: Staff on 5th September 2012

“Homeless” Steven Johnson Likes The Professional Tour

epa03381169 Steve Johnson of the US hits a return to Richard Gasquet of Franceduring their match on the seventh day of the 2012 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 02 September 2012. The US Open runs through Sunday 09 September 2012. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

American ATP newcomer Steven Johnson, a university tennis champion trying to make a start on the ATP, has joked that he is currently without a fixed abode as he tries to establish a presence on the professional circuit.

“I’m currently homeless, so it’s an interesting situation,” joked the No. 245. “I’m actually living with (fellow player) Brad Klahn. We’re finding a place at some point in the next few weeks before we go home.

“It’s in LA, so we’ll be both based out of Carson and the USTA training center there. I think it’s going to be great. Bradley and I have gone way back. To have both of us live in the same place, we can kind of push each other to go up there and do big things.”

Johnson, 22, who attended USC, won a Challenger title prior to coming to New York to compete in the US Open for the second time. He said that making the change from university to the “real” world was a huge test.

“I think just right now it’s just my inexperience of being on the tour. Through the rest of the year it’s going to be a really good test to go out there and get a bunch of wins and to get comfortable again.

“It’s a new environment. You’re traveling on your own. It’s just something to get used to.”

Johnson said that after starting on the circuit this year and getting two wins from five events, he is learning something with each match experience. “In the first couple weeks when I played the ATP events I felt a little more pressure just because I had come off a great college season and hadn’t lost in a while. I felt like I was ready to go out there and win.

“I just didn’t feel quite comfortable with the surroundings and made a good move to go back and play a Challenger (which he won) instead of Cincinnati. I got in a bunch of matches in and had a nice week to train back at home. I think everything has worked out pretty well.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: American tennis news, ATP tennis news, Sports, Steven Johnson, Tennis News, US Open 2012, USTA tennis news