Players could face wrath of Klahn again in January

Ex-Stanford star Bradley Klahn, rehabbing from
back surgery, hits balls tossed by his coach,
Stanford Boster, during the recent Sacramento
Challenger. Photo by Paul Bauman

   A surprise guest stopped by the recent $100,000 Sacramento Challenger at the Natomas Racquet Club.
   Touring pro and former Stanford star Bradley Klahn lightly hit balls tossed to him by his coach, the appropriately named Stanford Boster, and visited with his colleagues while rehabbing from his second operation for a herniated disc.
   Klahn had his latest surgery at the end of February in Los Angeles.
   "I feel good," said Klahn, who won the 2010 NCAA title as a sophomore, underwent his first disc operation in 2011 and graduated in 2012 in economics. "The surgery was successful. There's no reason I can't progress back to full health and get back out (on the circuit)."
   The 25-year-old left-hander hopes to return to competition in January in a Futures or Challenger tournament.
   "The most important thing for me coming back is to get matches in at any level," said Klahn, who has plunged from a career-high No. 63 in March 2014 to No. 317. "By the time I come back, it will be almost a year out of competition, so there certainly are going to be some rough spots. I'm not going to come back and win right away. If I do, that's great, but I have to be patient and just appreciate being back out there.

Klahn visits with Irish player James McGee during the
Sacramento Challenger. Photo by Paul Bauman

   "It's a total cliche that you don't understand how great it is until it's taken away from you. It's pretty special to play tennis for a living and travel around. I'm eager to get back out there and continue doing what I love."
   During his layoff, Klahn has visited his family in Poway in the San Diego area, spent time with his girlfriend in Los Angeles, taken online classes in finance and accounting, and read extensively.
   Klahn, who lives with a family in Westwood near UCLA, particularly enjoyed reading "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis of "Moneyball" fame on the 2008 financial crisis in the United States.
   "It really opened my eyes," Klahn said. "I didn't know a whole lot about that. It's fun for me to delve into new topics and broaden my horizons."