For the first time in 37 years, Great Britain has four men ranked in the top-100 on the ATP Emirates rankings.
The historic quartet was achieved after Dan Evans defeated Konstantin Kravchuk in the final of the Taiwan Challenger on Sunday. The 25-year-old rallied back from a set down to defeat the Russian in a match lasting over two hours. The win is Evans’ second Challenger title this year and it has elevated him he to a career ranking high of 97th in the world.
Evans, who defeated Kei Nishikori on his way to the third round of the 2013 US Open, joins Kyle Edmund (88), Aljaz Bedene (59) and Andy Murray (2) in the top 100. The achievement is especially significant for Evans, who was ranked 772 in the world 12 months ago.
The timing of the achievement comes as Andy Murray hopes to leave a lasting legacy of tennis in the country. The double grand slam champion has recently announced plans to host an annual charity tennis event featuring numerous tennis stars. The inaugural event will be hosted in September at the Hydro Arena in Glasgow, which will also feature Gael Monfils and Jamie Murray.
The significance of introducing tennis to children at a young age is a crucial factor according to world No.1 doubles player Jamie.
“There are a lot of kids out there trying tennis for the first time. This is super important because we are trying to get them at such a young age as possible. It is a game for life, it is not easy to just pick up and start playing, so the younger we can get them playing the better,” he said.
Besides the success in the rankings, Great Britain are also the current Davis Cup champions. Last year they defeated Belgium in the final of the competition to win the trophy for the first time since 1936.
Coinciding with the success of the British men, they are also three women ranked in the top-100. Australian Open semifinalist Johanna Konta heads the women’s contingent at 22nd followed by Heather Watson (56) and Naomi Broady (80).
