Tracy Austin reflects on journey of son Brandon Holt, set for Top 100 breakthrough

PIF ATP Live Rankings Projection

Tracy Austin reflects on journey of son Brandon Holt, set for Top 100 breakthrough

Learn about the 27-year-old American's journey

Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour Brandon Holt will break into the Top 100 for the first time on Monday. By ATP Staff

Brandon Holt, the former college tennis standout at the University of Southern California and the son of former WTA World No. 1 Tracy Austin, is guaranteed to crack the Top 100 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday for the first time aged 27.

It is a special moment for the American, who before this season had never climbed higher than World No. 180 and next week makes his Wimbledon main draw debut. His mom, who remains the youngest US Open women’s singles champion in history (16), is proud to say the least.

“It's obviously extremely rewarding to make the Top 100, and well deserved. He’s put in so much effort, it's a tremendous accomplishment,” Austin told ATPTour.com. “I feel like he's had a really good attitude, meaning that it’s not the destination. He really was focusing on the journey, and I think that's just so much healthier.”

Holt joined Austin and the rest of their family at Wimbledon from a young age. As he grew older and began competing in national tournaments over the American summer, that became less practical. Holt reached the Top 50 in the ITF Junior Rankings, but was unable to compete in the boys’ singles at The Championships because he suffered a stress fracture in his back his senior year of high school.

Later an ITA All-American at USC, Holt did not reach Wimbledon as a professional until competing in qualifying two years ago. But as Austin pointed out, qualifying for the grass-court major is not played at the same site as the main draw. So it is almost fitting that his first event as a Top-100 player will be Wimbledon.

“To [think] that little boy [who was with me at Wimbledon years ago] was then going to be playing in the main draw, I never would have dreamed it,” Austin said. “It brings tears to my eyes.”

Wednesday, Holt lost his second-round match at the Mallorca Championships presented by ecotrans Group. Thursday morning, he went for a swim in the local water. By the end of the day he was practising on the hallowed grounds of SW19.

It has not been an easy journey for Holt to get here, but those who have followed the former USC Trojan will have seen a smile on his face every step of the way, no matter the obstacle.

In 2021, Holt dealt with a benign tumor in his right hand that kept him out for much of the season. The first surgeon he visited said he had never seen the specific issue before and had never performed surgery on it. The eventual surgery was a success and the following year, Holt qualified for his first Grand Slam main draw at the US Open, where he upset Taylor Fritz in the first round.

“It's been quite the journey,” Austin said. “He's put in his time, he's put in the hard knocks, injuries wise, and just time wise, and he has the college degree. I'm super proud of that. So I think that was a great journey for him.”

A key has been maintaining a great perspective. Holt’s father, Scott, and Austin never put too much pressure on him and ensured that this would be Brandon’s journey, not their own.

“He was driving the bus, I like to say,” Austin said. “That comes from a good spot because I think if you're getting pushed from behind, you probably feel different emotions, different pressures.”

When Holt played qualifying at SW19 in 2023, he fell in the first round. But since then, the California native has continued pushing forward and this year he claimed his first two ATP Challenger Tour trophies to kickstart what has been a career-best season. Holt is currently 71st in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, the year-to-date standings.

“I'm just super proud of his durability, his professionalism. Every day, he gives 100 per cent of whatever he's got that day,” Austin said. She added: “There's going to be turbulence, there's going to be adversity, and down to the core, Brandon is a pretty happy human being. He’s got a great perspective on life, and I think that helps because it can be overwhelming if you start to just focus on the wins and the losses instead of the growth. “

That mindset has helped Holt reach the biggest milestone of his career, set to reach No. 99 or No. 100 Monday, depending on whether Jenson Brooksby wins the Eastbourne title Saturday. Although it was not at the forefront of his mind, Holt will forever be able to call himself a Top-100 player.

“I think Brandon is so levelheaded and enjoys his life and his journey so much, that he's never really talked about numeric goals,” Austin said. “It's always about improving, and that's not easy to keep that perspective.”

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