Ranking Risers: Which British players rose up the rankings in 2023?

The 2023 season ended with 53 British players ranked inside the top 300 across the men’s and women’s singles and doubles games – but who made the most progress in the rankings this year?

Let’s take a look at which Brits recorded career-highs this year and who made a significant leap up the rankings.

Career highs:

Where better place to start than with one of British tennis’ standout players of the year? Katie Boulter enjoyed a breakthrough year that saw her skyrocket through the rankings after lifting a maiden WTA title at the Rothesay Open Nottingham and reaching the third round at Wimbledon and the US Open. Boulter’s efforts landed her at a career-high ranking of world No.50 and concluded the year as British No.1 for the first time.

From one WTA star to another, Jodie Burrage embarked on one of the best seasons of her career. The British No.2 lifted her biggest single title to date at the W60 event in Croissy-Beaubourg back in April before reaching her first WTA final in Nottingham and recording her first Grand Slam win at Wimbledon –the match that saw her break into the top 100 for the first time and hit a career high ranking of world No.89. Elsewhere, British No. Lily Miyazaki jumped from 245 to a high of No.154.

Another Brit who ticked off a career milestone by breaking into the top 100 for the first time this year is Liam Broady. Following his title success at the Vilnius Challenger 100 in February, Broady grew from strength-to-strength on the Challenger Tour – leading him to a career best ranking of No.93 off the back of finishing runner up at the Saint Tropez Challenger.

Rising young star Jack Draper grasped a career-high ranking of No.38 after making his first tour-level semi-final at the 250 event in Adelaide back in January; meanwhile, Jan Choinski’s consistent form on the Challenger tour saw him rise to a high of No.118. British No.2 Dan Evans also climbed to No.21 after lifting the biggest title of his career at the ATP 500 event in Washington back in August.

Moving onto our doubles stars and Julian Cash was rewarded for his impressive performances across the ATP and Challenger circuits this season. The 27-year-old rose to No.47 off the back of lifting five Challenger titles and making three ATP finals, while Luke Johnson – who also dominated the Challenger tour by clinching five titles – reached a high of 117.

On the women’s side, Maia Lumsden had a landmark year that saw shoot up 145 places in the doubles rankings to reach a career-best of 74, after the 25-year-old picked up six trophies on the ITF tour in 2023. Her doubles partner Naiktha Bains also peaked at a ranking of No.87 off the back of winning four ITF titles and reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals with Lumsden. Freya Christie and Ali Collins also both reached career highs this year – with both being ranked 110.

Over to the wheelchair tennis scene now and Alfie Hewett had a memorable end to his season, after being crowned year-end world No.1 in the singles and doubles for the first time in his career. This milestone came after the 25-year-old secured the double at the Wheelchair Tennis Masters in November.

2023 was another successful year for the youngsters on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tour. 21-year-old Greg Slade reached heights of No.14 in the quad singles rankings, while Dahnon Ward hit No.22 in the men’s wheelchair singles, 19-year-old Ruby Bishop climbed to No.39 in the women’s singles rankings while Andrew Penney capped off a fantastic year at No.43.

Big jumpers

This year also saw the emergence of some new faces on the block in British tennis, with many players reaping the benefits of strong performances across the season.

21-year-old Arthur Fery burst onto the scene at the Rothesay Open Nottingham where he clinched his first career Challenger win. Having started the season competing on the NCAA – the men's tennis national collegiate championship in America - Fery continued to adjust well to the pro tour as he finished the year as runner-up at the Mouilleron-le-Captif Challenger where he reached a high of world No.269.

Next up, a player who largely benefitted from the grass court season on home soil - George Loffhagen. The 22-year-old also made an impression in Nottingham where he reached the quarter-finals as well as lifting three ITF titles across the season – seeing him jump an astounding 641 places in the ATP rankings this year to reach a high of No. 343.

Billy Harris also made headway this year, with the 28-year-old consistently raising his level on the Challenger tour and securing his first win at an ATP event. Harris ended the year at a career-high ranking of 200, while his fellow Beyond the Baseline stars Sonay Kartal and Felix Gill also rose to 195 and 368 respectively following their title successes this year.