Harrison Shares The "Last Time"…

Speaking during last month’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Tallahassee, Florida, American Ryan Harrison reveals the last time… 

I missed a flight?

It was about a month ago. We were on our way to the airport and the airport in Austin [Texas] is not too big, so usually an hour before is pretty safe. We were a mile away from the airport and there was a massive construction stop with only one lane and we couldn’t get through. We just barely missed the flight.

I lost something important?

I was flying back two years ago from Wimbledon and I left my driver’s license at a restaurant, but someone actually mailed it back to me. I’m not sure how, but it was someone from Chicago. I had the return address, so I sent them a Wimbledon towel in return.

I paid money to rent a court or buy tennis balls?

I have to do that every time I go home. I know the guys really well at the club I practise at and they’ve always been great about courts, but we always buy the balls.

Being famous helped me?

Probably last week at Bonefish Grill. We went for dinner for my fiancee’s birthday. Someone who had affiliation with the [ATP Challenger Tour] tournament in Savannah snuck us ahead on the waitlist.

I strung a tennis racquet?

I do that pretty frequently too. I have a stringer at the house.

I cooked for myself or others?

Last week. I have a grill at the house and all of our friends are pretty good about knowing that when I’m off the road, I usually don’t really want to go out but still would like to see them. Every time I’ve been gone for three or four weeks, we’ll have our friends over and I’ll grill and get something together.

I met a childhood idol?

I met Phil Mickelson at the PGA event in Austin. He was playing against a friend of mine at a match play event, so it was just briefly in passing. I watched Phil growing up, though, so that was pretty cool.

I shared a hotel room with another player?

Austin Krajicek and I shared housing, if that counts. It was the ATP Challenger Tour event in Winnetka last year.

I asked someone famous for an autograph or selfie?

I can honestly say that I’ve never done that.

I went to a concert?

I saw Jake Owen and Jason Aldean and Thomas Rhett for my 21st birthday almost three years ago.

I got upgraded on a flight?

I got upgraded coming from Australia back to Los Angeles this year. I was very, very lucky. We were trying to buy the flight upgrade and the woman at the ticket counter couldn’t get it processed in time because something happened with her computer, so she just printed the upgrade and gave it to us.