Liam Broady: Briton says breaking into the top 100 a ‘relief’ after a decade on the ATP Tour

Britain’s Liam Broady admits he has a huge sense of “relief” at having achieved his decade-long goal of breaking into the top 100 when the rankings are updated on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old from Stockport, who reached the boys’ final at Wimbledon and the US Open more than a decade ago, is guaranteed to rise to 93rd in the rankings when he is updated after reaching last week’s second division final. tournament in Saint-Tropez.

He said: “The goal that has kept me going for 10 years is: ‘One day I will be in the top 100’.

“It’s funny, with things like this you never feel as good as you think. Once you do it, you think, ‘Oh, that’s it’? Now I’m already thinking about it: how can we make the year strong shut down, how can I do it?” Going to Australia and making the most of it early next year, but it will be a big burden off my shoulders.

“I don’t know why, but you always see a player who has been in the top 100 differently. Even if someone has made 99 and someone has made 101, there is a different kind of aura about that and I have been aware of that for years.

“There have been plenty of British players who were fantastic but never managed to get over that final hurdle. I didn’t want the same for myself, I wanted to be in that holy grail.”

It’s been a rollercoaster of a career for Broady, who hit such a low point a few years ago that he almost quit the sport.

This season he performed consistently at Challenger level as he recorded a career-best victory over then world number 4 Casper Ruud to reach the third round at Wimbledon.

With the top 100 ticked off, Broady is spending a few days at home for the first time since May and his priority for the remaining weeks of the year is to ensure he makes the main draw of a Grand Slam in the rankings for the first time. time at the Australian Open.

So how high could he go?

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m curious to see. Ask me in a year. Once you’re in the top 100, I think it all comes down to runs that you can continue.

“If you play well at the right tournaments, you can go as high as anyone. I have no experience with what that feels like, so I’m just excited.”

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