Local tennis player Liam Broady is quietly rising back up the ranks on the ITF Tour, and here’s why we think you should watch out for him come Wimbledon 2026 this summer.
He is physical proof that the ATP Tour ranking means so much to a player’s career.
The Stockport-born tennis player has suffered many injury setbacks since turning pro in 2014. With a host of ankle and back injuries plaguing his playing career, he has had to turn to the ITF (International Tennis Federation) Tour to climb the rankings once again.
He is currently placed at 283* on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour after reaching two semi-finals in the space of a month.
With wins on two of Portugal’s hard courts in Faro and Santo António, the 32-year-old has climbed from rank 303 at the start of the year to under the threshold in less than three months.
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His hard work on outdoor courts is paying off as his seeding is slowly improving, and his opponents are becoming less of a challenge.
For the unititated, the ATP ranking is decided by a points system that determines your playing level, and therefore who you can possibly draw, with lower seeds getting tougher games as they need more points, and vice versa.
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These point tallies factor into every win, loss, serve, and shot as it propels you up or down the table.
With an injury over Christmas, the Stopfordian Team GB player came back stronger for the start of the annual tournament calendar and now looks to be in fighting form on the ITF Tour.
He’s definitely had to tackle some obstacles over the years, both on and off the court…
Competing solely on outdoor hard courts to gain his fitness levels back is necessary, but the grass courts – his speciality – will come around with time and consistent form, with Wimbledon being his home tournament and his highlight of the competitive calendar.
His career best ranking was 93, after becoming the first British wildcard entry to beat an ATP top five player in 2023 when defeating Casper Rudd on Wimbledon’s centre court.
His win against the Norwegian in round two sent him into the top 100 rankings for the first time, and into the shining spotlight alongside British tennis stars.
The adverse effects of time away from the tour are clear to see with Broady’s peaks and dips in the table below; this means taking a hit to player motivation, game-to-game momentum and teamworking within doubles pairs.
Liam Broady’s career rankings progression chart. (Credit: ATP Tour)
It is a likely situation for players to neglect their doubles career without the added stress of injury, so if they are to arise, it does not just impact individual physicality levels but also communication between doubles pairs.
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A fellow British player with similar injury problems is Emma Raducanu, who rose to fame with a shocking US Open grand slam win as a qualifier. Since her win, she has had multiple surgeries, which saw her plummet down WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) standings due to time spent off court.
The issues that come with injury upsets can make a career really difficult to reclaim, even at a young age; tour rankings can be brutal on game time and match opponents, such as Broady’s Wimbledon draw against Holland’s Van De Zandschulp and Raducanu’s recent draw against American no.3 Anisimova.
We hope to see Team GB’s athletes fit and ready to fight on tour, and we have a strong feeling we’ll see native talent Broady back in the spotlight where he belongs.
Latest wave of ‘Evening 4’ Ricky Hatton lineup in memory of the legendary Manc boxer announced
Danny Jones
Manchester is set to host a night of remembrance and celebration in honour of the late, great, local boxer, Ricky Hatton, and now a superb second wave of names has been added to AO Arena’s lineup.
Coming this summer, the legendary Manchester arena – where Hatton enjoyed so many of his iconic moments – will be holding the first-ever ‘Evening4Ricky’ later this year.
Held at the legendary sports and live entertainment venue just in time for summer, we still only know bits and pieces about what’s in store, but a whole host of familiar Manc faces, famous British names, and figures from the world of sport have now been announced.
Sharing the news on social media, AO Arena said: “Join us for an unforgettable night of entertainment as Manchester comes together for Evening4Ricky.
“This will be a spectacular, unique celebration of the life, spirit and legacy of one of the city’s most beloved icons – Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton.”
With seats priced at £25, fans are being encouraged to join the early bird sign-up to secure access to discounted tickets.
As you can see, now confirmed for the evening are the likes of Man United legend, Paul Scholes, darts icon Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, as well as fellow former boxers like Frank Bruno, Tony Bellew and more.
Local band, The K’s, were already confirmed as part of the in-person performances, but now the likes of Manc grime artists Bugzy Malone, fellow UK rapper Tinie Tempah, and The Lottery Winners are joining in, too, alongside loads more live music and entertainment set to be revealed in the coming weeks.
They go on to add: “Hosted at the legendary AO Arena, home to so many of Ricky’s big fights, featuring a superstar cast of legends from the worlds of boxing, music, comedy and entertainment.”
So, we do at least know there’ll be some famous faces coming along to help make it a memorable Manc moment, just a few months on from the city and beyond uniting for his public funeral procession.
Ricky was beloved not only by the Greater Manchester community but was a popular figure and friend to many in the sporting and showbiz industries.
The homegrown ‘Pride of Hyde‘ tragically left us on 14 September 2025 at the age of just 46, but his passing has once again helped reassert the importance of having more conversations around wellbeing, suicide prevention, and most specifically, men’s mental health.
You can find more information and see how to grab tickets right HERE.
This isn’t the only charitable in memoriam event happening across the region in the coming weeks, either, as Mancs will be gathering to pay tribute to another fellow inspiring sportsman.
Manchester’s cross club running social returns for 2026 and biggest summer party yet
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester’s now annual cross club running social is BACK for 2026, and 2026 is set to be the biggest to date, making the most of the summer vibes.
We’re already getting very excited for this one.
The Cross Club Social (CCS) first began in 2023 and continues to grow each year, with the organisers continuing to push the budget right to its limits in order to bring the Manc running community one big, beautiful and utterly brilliant bash.
Booking larger venues and putting together an even better schedule each and every year, marathon season is done for most of you – now it’s time to give yourselves a proper, well-deserved break.
Set up by local runners and DJs turned summer social specialists, Dave ‘Macca’ McLaughlin and Sophie ‘DG’ de Greenlaw, the upcoming Cross Club Social is the fourth edition of what has now become the go-to post-race season party.
Toasting not just everyone’s incredible achievements following the likes of the Manchester and London Marathons, but also celebrating the local running culture and various clubs as a whole, it really is the perfect opportunity to reap the rewards after months of training – i.e. with lots of drinks and dancing.
With help this year from Manchester Road Runners‘ (MRR) very own social secretary, Gemma Moore, the programming and full schedule looks more jam-packed than ever, with live sets from both Macca and DG, karaoke, a big pub quiz, giveaways and more.
In fact, there’s even set to be tiny talks, panels and other mini-mixers within the event itself.
Now spread across three whole rooms at Fairfield Social Club over in the Green Quarter, there’s room for all kinds of fun to be had.
Before we go any further, it’s also worth mentioning that this small setup is only run by a few, very dedicated and passionate people who love two things: running and partying, which is what makes their charitable efforts even more moving.
As it has done in the past, CCS ’26 will be teaming up with The 24-Hour Run Against Homelessness, who raise money for the region’s homeless population on behalf of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, amassing well over £70k last year alone.
That being said, part of your already very reasonable ticket price goes towards supporting this cause, with early bird tickets priced at just £11.25 (including booking fees), the second release for £13.45, and the final batch still only £15.65.
With lots of clubs already signed up to take part, including MRR, Run MCR, Ancoats Run Club, Levy Runners, Run The Streets – who’ll be hosting an optional social 5k to start the day – and many more, if you’re a runner based in the area, you don’t want to miss this one.
Once again, they’ve got the full venue to themselves all day long, and everyone is welcome; you can secure your spot at Cross Club Social 4 right HERE.
The Manc -
13th March 2026 
