Luke Johnson interview: The Leeds tennis ace's rise to success from a kid with a dream to Wimbledon

After three to four hours of tennis training, he'll move straight into a strength or conditioning session - rounding off a seven-hour day of training, which he repeats six times a week.

Then factor in around 30 weeks of playing in professional tournaments every year, with months away from home, Luke's schedule is no mean feat.

The tennis ace, of Roundhay, tried his hand at all kinds of sport growing up - and played county cricket for Yorkshire until he was 16.

“I got to a point when I needed to choose between them," Luke, 28, told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

"But I enjoyed tennis more, so that was the path I went down.

“It teaches you so many things - discipline, dealing with losses and overcoming challenges. I was learning that from an early age without even realising, which put me in good stead to be a professional player.

“It’s a tough way to earn a living, you lose pretty much every week.”

Luke went to the Grammar School at Leeds until sixth form, when he completed his A Levels at a college in Huddersfield that let him tailor his timetable around his burgeoning tennis career.

While Luke's mates were out partying, he was making sacrifices - with his hopes pinned on becoming a professional sports star.

“It was always the dream,” he said.

“I would watch Wimbledon and wish people were watching me, rather than me watching them.

"When I was 17, I made the final of the Under 18s British Nationals.

"I was always training seriously, but at that point I started to think that it was possible.”

Luke turned professional in 2017 after returning from the US, where he’d spent four years studying at Clemson University in South Carolina.

He honed his skills on the college tennis circuit - making lifelong friends in the process.

Luke added: “The US college system is good in that you can combine high level sport with the academic system - it’s designed for that.

“I wanted to stay in academics, I’d always done that, and I wasn’t ready to go out and start playing 30 weeks abroad away from home - physically or emotionally.

"Tennis isn’t a team sport, but for those four years it was. You’re playing for more than yourself."

Before a serious knee injury in February, Luke hit a career high of 298 in the world doubles rankings and 606 in the world single's rankings.

He's played doubles in Wimbledon twice, earned a silver medal at the World University Games and won his first professional singles title at the end of 2021.

Luke has set his sights on playing in every Grand Slam without getting a wild card - and eventually lifting a Grand Slam trophy.

“There are the physical challenges such as staying healthy, which I haven’t done this year," Luke said.

"I played a couple of tournaments in January, but that was it until a few weeks ago.

“I was lucky that it happened later in my career. Because I’m more mature, I was able to see the bigger picture. It was annoying, but I’m lucky that I’m back playing well again.

"Then there are emotional challenges - being away from your friends and home.

"When you play 30 weeks of the year, there will probably only be one time of the year where you’re in one place for more than a month."

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Luke trains at David Lloyd Leeds when he is at home, where he is often stopped by gym-goers who have followed his journey from when he was a youngster.

While playing a tournament in Tunisia on the last day of the Premier League season, Luke struck up conversation with a man in a Leeds United shirt - who ended up tracking him down on social media and sending him words of encouragement.

"That feeling of support and community is really nice," Luke said.

“People from Leeds are really passionate about sport. When you see other people from your city doing well, it drives you.

“It might be in a different sport, but there’s no reason why it can’t be you. Even at your local gym, you’ll see people excelling.

"It’s everywhere around you."

Luke's advice for young sports stars

Having had surgery on his right knee for a torn lateral meniscus, Luke is now back in the swing of the busy grass court season - making it to the doubles semi-final of the llkley Trophy Tennis Tournament last month.

“You need to love what you do, that’s the number one thing," he said.

"There’s a lot of ups and downs and your fundamental reason for playing the sport can’t be for winning - that comes and goes too often, in tennis especially.

“Keep working hard and good things will happen, you just won’t know when they will happen.

"It’s not the conventional way, but following your dreams of playing a sport is a much better way of earning a living - if that’s what you love doing.

"There’s plenty of time for a different job after sport.”

The business that makes it possible

It costs around £30,000 a year for Luke to play in up to 30 tournaments - most of which are abroad.

And Luke has had the backing of a Yorkshire care home company after winning over the support of its tennis-mad boss.

Czajka Care Group, a family-run business that runs care homes across Shipley and the Aire Valley, helps to fund Luke's training, coaching, travel and equipment costs.

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Luke said: “It allows me to play the full schedule of tournaments without worrying that if I lose here or there, I won’t be able to afford the next one.

"At the moment, if you lose early in these events, the money isn’t massive and the expenses are high.

"Turning professional has been rewarding but you need to compete in lots of tournaments in order to climb the world rankings, which is very expensive.

"The sponsorship allows me that freedom, knowing I have someone in my corner who supports me."

Czajka Care Group's managing director Konrad Czajka, a keen tennis player himself, has sponsored Luke since he turned professional in 2017.

“I love sport and tennis in particular," Konrad said.

"I enjoy a match or two every few months with Luke, although I never disclose the result!

"It’s a tough sport but Luke is very talented and dedicated and we feel very proud to help him with his professional career."