ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Name: Elliot Johnstone

Sport: Tennis

Classification: Junior

Major: Accounting

Age: 20

Hometown: Tasmania, Australia

Who is your favorite athlete? “Lleyton Hewitt, because he’s pretty much the best Australian tennis player, so we all looked up to him back home.”

Who is your role model? “Probably, my dad. I never had a tennis coach growing up until I was 12. He didn’t know much about it, but he just kept helping me out and got me over here.”

What is the best advice you’ve been given and by whom? “Probably not one specific person, but just a number of people have sort of said just listen to everyone, respect everyone and take everything on board. And, if someone says something different, just take that on board and keep taking things on board.”

When did you begin playing tennis, and why? “I started when I was about 3. My mom used to play once a week, and I used to just go with her and ask everyone to hit with me.”

What’s your favorite place to hang out on campus? “We train every morning, 7 to 10 [a.m.], and I usually go home and go to sleep, so I would say my apartment is my favorite place on campus.”

What are your academic goals? “My dad is friends with a few accountants and they seem like they make a lot of money, so I took that path. I don’t mind, like, numbers and finance and things like that.”

How do you feel about being part of this team? “It’s good. We’re sort of rebuilding again. We went through kind of a tough year last year. We had a good first year that I was here. We had a sound coach and a solid team. Last year, we had a solid team, but we didn’t really jell, so we’re rebuilding again and hoping to get a few more players in January so we can get back into it.”

What are your personal goals for this season? “Last year, I had a positive record. I want to go through this season and just not lose many matches, really. I’m a junior now, an upperclassman, so I’ve got to pretty much take responsibility of the team and not rely on the younger guys. So, I’ve got to win the majority of my matches.”

–Compiled by Sarah Carvajal