Ryan Harrison still aims to reach the Top 10 even after experiencing the most difficult season in his young career in 2013. The 21-year-old reached a career-high ranking of No. 43 in 2012, but is currently ranked No. 100 after finishing 2013 with an 11-21 record. When he first came on tour in 2010, Harrison was considered one of the United States' top prospects.
“It’s a big year and this is the year for me where I can prove that last year was a fluke,” he told TENNIS.com after qualifying for the Brisbane International. “For the most part in my first years on tour when I was 18, 19, and 20, I did well, I was consistently going up from 200 to 150 until I cracked the Top 50 and obviously things turned around. I had a poor year last year. It’s up to me to go out there and through hard work and maturity prove that last year is not the standard that I will be known for.”
Harrison has always appeared to be a confident person, modeled after his father Pat, a former collegiate standout and teaching pro. But in 2013, he doubted himself.
“For whatever reason last year I just let the pressure and the circumstances let me mentally fold and that's something I've never done before,” Harrison said. “My M.O. coming up was I not going to fold and I was going to win a lot of matches in three sets and compete the hell out of people and turn matches around. The standard I want now is no points off, no points for granted, and have it be a complete battle all the time. I’m doing a long-term thinking process whether I win or lose or draw, I’m going to stay on the path to the Top 10. Ranking wise, the initial goal is to get back to the Top 50 and the see where it goes from there.”
Harrison's younger brother Christian recently had hip surgery after suffering two labral tears. He is scheduled for another surgery in late January; Ryan doesn't expect him back until after Wimbledon, even though he says his brother is recovering well.