“How are you guys doing. My name’s Mike Kosta.”

Lookout ladies, the very confident Mike Kosta is about to land in Sydney, making his Australian debut at The Comedy Store. The former professional tennis player made the jump into stand up at 27 and has become one of America’s fastest rising hot new comics. He’s recently appeared on The Tonight Show and has been seen on Chelsea Lately and Comedy Central. In 2009 Mike was invited to the prestigious Montreal Just Laughs, adding this to his Festival swag which included the HBO US Arts Comedy Festival in Aspen. Michael lives in Los Angeles where he hopes to soon become famous and forget all the little people.

We spoke to the sharp shooting tennis pro and comedian ahead of his Australian debut at The Comedy Store, about what to expect from his shows.

So, we should get this out of the way early, before you even turn up to the show - you should clap when he’s on stage, but even if you didn’t, Mike Kosta knows he is the best. A self-admitted “arrogant smart ass,” Kosta has chosen to buck the trend of the average, self-loathing comedian, willing to poke fun at himself for a good, hearty chuckle. Instead, he overdoes his self-confidence to please the audience into submission.

You might even be lucky enough to experience one of Mike’s popular stand up segments called, “Lucky You,” in which he interviews audience members and workers in the club about how grand it is to be in his presence.

“I’m not the guy who’s fat and ugly. I’m the guy who gets the girls,” he says. “And the joke is on me.”

He’ll play with the audience sure, but there’s no need to be scared, he’s friendly. “It’s an extension of who I am,” he says. “I love to showcase the audience and the people I work with on a week-to-week basis. I love to include a local section of the show. I like to get to know people in front. I like to build the show around the people who are there.”

His path away from self-deprecation came from a childhood filled with “older siblings treating me terribly and me wanting more attention,” he says. He paired his experiences with his love of people to generate his style.

But comedy wasn’t always his first choice for a career. This 29-year-old comedian — an age he promises to be for the next five years — began his adult life as a touring tennis professional and then as a coach at the University of Michigan.

Comedy is a harder career, he says, but it’s all material for his act.