Neal Skupski, former LSU tennis player, is now the world No. 1 in the ATP men’s doubles rankings.

Alongside his American partner, Christian Harrison, they achieved one of the hardest tasks in tennis: winning a Grand Slam.

“I knew coming into the season that we were going to be a very dangerous team. Winning the Australian Open in our second event is special, really. It’s something that we never really expected. A Grand Slam is something that we wanted to achieve this year, but we thought maybe later down the line. With it coming so quickly, we need to evaluate our goals for the season and make sure we are still hungry,” said Skupski.

The Australian Open isn’t the first Grand Slam for the British. He previously won Wimbledon three times and has also been a runner-up at the US Open and Roland Garros.

“Playing at Wimbledon is very special. To win it three times is incredible. I kind of have to pinch myself when I say that. Incredible achievement, something that I won’t forget for the rest of my life, and hopefully there is more to come.”

Playing at the top means that you face the best, including the GOATs of the sport, in competitions like the Davis Cup and the Olympics, where tennis players face each other representing their countries.

“I’ve beaten Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic, and Murray. Never played Federer. Unfortunately, that would have been a nice one. And I played Nadal once, and he got the best of me.”

On the ATP Tour, the season is very long, as players travel all around the world with very limited breaks throughout the year.

“The season starts in Australia with the Australian Open, and it will finish with the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, in November.”

As the Brit is motivated after a great start to the year, his intentions are clear.

“We want to finish as the No. 1 team by the end of the year.”

Next for Skupski is the the Mexican Open on the beautiful coast of Acapulco, Mexico an ATP 500 event that the former Tiger is familiar with, as he won it in 2021.