A Slice Of Home On The ATP Challenger Tour

Anyone who’s traveled knows how expensive staying in a hotel can be. For players competing on the ATP Challenger Tour, the cost of staying in a hotel for up to 30 weeks out of the year can add up quickly.

“I was playing in San Francisco two years ago and was looking for cheap accommodation and couldn’t find anything,” said James McGee. “I went into a hostel and was spending $200 a night for a bunk bed with me on the top bunk and my coach on the bottom one.”

For players competing in many of the ATP Challenger Tour events in the U.S., a unique alternative is offered in the form of player housing. Local families offer to take in players for the week, free of charge, providing a more relaxed atmosphere that they see as a welcome change of pace from the routine of hotels.

“They don’t really do housing like this anywhere else in the world,” said Dean O’Brien. “The families are really nice and you get to know a lot more about the cities you’re in since they live there. There are enough weeks when you’re sitting in a hotel room by yourself, so it’s just nice to get to know people.”

Players view local housing as more than a crash pad for the week, though. They often keep in touch with the families and even reunite with them at other tournaments. Bjorn Fratangelo explained that a family he stayed with years ago at a Futures event in Tampa, Florida, recently reached out about coming to watch him play at the ATP Challenger Tour event in nearby Sarasota. For the families, it’s a chance to rub shoulders with professional athletes and get to know them on a more intimate level. 

For some players, saving money on local housing is a significant part of how they keep their expenses down on the road. McGee said that he primarily plays in the U.S. because “I either stay in housing or someone provides me housing for 90 percent of the Challengers I play in.” He’s even occasionally lucked out and been given his own place for the week.

“Someone provided me a condo in Sarasota that overlooked the lake,” said McGee. “I really lucked out. It was the ideal situation.”

He’s also returned to stay with some host families, like the Seifer family in Tiburon, California, which has opened up its home to him during the ATP Challenger Tour event there for the past three years. Although McGee acknowledged that there are financial benefits to staying in local housing, he said the experiences he’s shared with these families have been priceless.

“Building relationships is really what it’s all about,” said McGee. “Your tennis career only lasts for so long, but your friendships are forever.”