Daily Pilot Athlete of the Month: Josef Stromberg

Tony Altobelli

Vanguard University has a well-kept secret lingering at the No. 5

singles spot of its men’s tennis roster in the name of Josef Stromberg.

For Coach Mattias Johansson, it’s a problem that every tennis coach in

America would like to have: too much talent.

“I’d love to have him up at the No. 1 or 2 or 3 spot,” Johansson said.

“But he’s only a freshman and we have a senior and junior playing ahead

of him. It’s nice to have that much depth and know that when he plays,

it’s almost always going to be a win. I think he has more potential than

any player to EVER play at Vanguard.”

Making the adjustment from Stockholm, Sweden to Southern California is

not that easy, but with Johansson, who’s from Sweden and three other

Swedish-born players on the Lions’ squad, including his best friend, No.

4 singles player Peter Skrzecnski, the adjustment has been easier to

handle.

“I came out here after my friend, Peter, came out the year before and

told me about the school and the area,” Stromberg said. “Mattias came out

to Sweden and saw me and was interested in having play for him, so I did

and I love it.”

Ask Stromberg right now what he likes the most about living in Southern

California and he’ll have a very universal answer: climate. “I love the

weather here,” he said. “It’s starting to warm up at home (Sunday’s

forecast: snow and a high of 30 degrees), but nothing like this. This is

wonderful.”

The great climate has also helped Stromberg adjust to playing tennis

outdoors and playing collegiate tennis in America.

“It’s definitely much more competitive over here,” Stromberg politely

said, referring to the rather colorful language he’s heard on the court

from opponents.

“In Sweden, we play with judges at each competition, so calling your own

shots is something to get used to,” Johansson said. “Seeing players throw

rackets and swearing is something we don’t do in Sweden.”

Perhaps it’s the play of Stromberg that’s causing the commotion. He’s

17-2 in singles play and 14-2 in doubles, leading the Lions to a 14-2

overall record and a perfect 4-0 in the Golden State Athletic Conference.

“He’s been a couple of good bounces from being undefeated in both singles

and doubles,” Johansson said. “He’s got great court coverage and he’s

very aggressive from the baseline.”

According to Stromberg, it’s his doubles play that really helps him in

singles’ competition.

“I’m a serve and volley guy and that’s what doubles is all about,”

Stromberg said. “I feel like my game is better suited for doubles play,

but I like them both.”

With a strong backhand and serve, Stromberg sees one aspect of his game

that needs some improvement. “My forehand isn’t very good,” he admitted.

“That’s something I really need to work on.”

For Johansson, he would like to see some patience from his freshman

standout. “If he would slow down a little more and be more consistent, he

could go undefeated the rest of the way.

The rest of the way that Johansson is referring to includes the NAIA

National Tournament, a place that both the coach and player think the

Lions can thrive in.

“I think we can go a long way into the Nationals,” Stromberg said. “If we

all play at our top level, we can go up against anyone.”

When he’s not rocking backhand shots past his opponents, Stromberg likes

to rock out on the guitar. “I used to have a band back in Sweden,”

Stromberg said. “We played pop and rock. I also did a little singing.”