CENTURION, August 24, 2021 (Tennis South Africa Press Release)

Heading into the back end of a superb season, Lloyd Harris is confident of putting up a fight in the final Grand Slam tournament of the 2021 campaign when the US Open gets underway in New York next week.

The 24-year-old rising star climbed to a career-high 46th in the ATP rankings last week, reaping the rewards of a breakthrough year which saw him reach the final of the Dubai Championships.

While compatriot Kevin Anderson has struggled with injuries, Harris’ fine form has seen him cementing his place as South Africa’s top-ranked singles player.

“It’s a big honour and privilege to be No 1 in SA and represent my country each week on tour,” Harris said in a teleconference on Monday night.

“I think it’s been a really good season and achieving a career high is a big deal for me, so I’m trying to climb the rankings and improve even more.”

After reaching the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time at this year’s Australian Open, Harris was eager to go deeper into the tournament when he turned out at the US Open for the fourth time.

Though he admitted it was becoming more of a challenge to climb the ladder, with better performances resulting in more matches, he took this week off to ensure he was ready to grind it out in five-set matches at Flushing Meadows.

“I’ve never felt this good going into a Grand Slam,” Harris said.

“I’m playing with a lot of confidence, and I’ve beaten some top players recently, so I’m going in there with a lot of optimism.

“I’m just looking to keep playing good tennis.”