Britain’s Kyle Edmund exceeded expectations by reaching a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time in his career at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Was it a one-off or are we likely to see the 23-year-old lift a trophy in the future, like his compatriot Andy Murray?

BBC Sport pundits Andrew Castle, John Lloyd and Pat Cash assess what we can expect from Edmund in 2018 and beyond.

• Edmund has ‘caught the bug’ for Grand Slam glory
• The making of Kyle Edmund
• BBC TV and radio coverage times

‘Nobody wants to play Edmund now’

On his way to the last four, Edmund overcame seeds Kevin Anderson and Grigor Dimitrov which earned him career-best victories at Tour level.

The Yorkshire-born player eventually came unstuck against sixth seed Marin Cilic on Thursday – who prevailed 6-2 7-6 (7-4) 6-2.

Edmund had to call a trainer after the first set for a hip problem and former British number one Castle said: “I think the injury cost him a shot at winning it.

“He’s definitely not right physically but I thought he handled the occasion. If you beat Anderson, Dimitrov and others then you’re capable and ready.

“Nobody wants to play Edmund now. That’s a reputation that goes round. We knew he had a forehand that could put a hole in you but now people have seen other things: defence, attitude, results at a different level.

“He’s going to have to recalibrate his own mind now.”

Former Wimbledon champion Cash told BBC Radio 5 live: “Mentally he’s very focused. We’re used to seeing Murray grumpy and miserable for hours on end if he misses a shot. Kyle is the opposite.”

Can Edmund win a Grand Slam?

Prior to his exploits in Melbourne, the furthest Edmund had progressed at a major was the fourth round of the US Open in 2016.

He will move from world number 49 up into the top 30 when the rankings are released next week and his next Grand Slam test will come in France in May – on his favoured clay surface.

“He’s got to figure now that he’s got to be in the second week of all the Grand Slams,” said John Lloyd, one of six British men to make a major semi-final in the professional era.

“That should be a minimum. Realistically I don’t see why he couldn’t get to a quarter or a semi-final at the French.

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*Warning. Some people may find content in this story offensive.

American tennis player Tennys Sandgren has apologised for an offensive tweet he posted about a gay club in 2012.

The world number 97 lost in the Australian Open quarter-finals to South Korea’s Chung Hyeon on Wednesday.

Sandgren, who then accused the media of “demonising” and “propaganda”, deleted 18 months’ worth of tweets after being questioned about his beliefs and denying he was a far-right sympathiser.

“To everyone I offended with that, please accept my apology,” he said.

The 26-year-old was referencing a post on Twitter six years ago that said a visit to a gay club had “left his eyes bleeding”.

“I used poor and harsh words to describe a bad experience, and is not indicative of how I feel about the people in that community,” he added.

Serena Williams had earlier called for Sandgren to apologise, saying: “There is an entire group of people that deserves an apology.”

Britain’s Kyle Edmund said he “had caught the bug” for competing in big Grand Slam matches after his Australian Open run ended in the semi-finals.

The 23-year-old was beaten 6-2 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 by Croatian sixth seed Marin Cilic in Melbourne.

Edmund refused to blame a hip injury that required treatment, preferring to focus on two weeks that saw him make his major semi-final debut.

“I definitely go away from the whole week feeling positive,” said Edmund.

“This type of tournament just gives you the bug to want more. Once you get a taste, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I want more of this.'”

Cilic, 29, dominated the semi-final after saving break points in the opening game, and Edmund’s hopes were clearly damaged by the hip problem which required a medical timeout at the end of the first set.

However, the Yorkshireman was keen to play down the extent of the injury.

“There’s something, but whatever. It’s unfortunate it happens,” he said.

“I’m definitely disappointed about it, but it’s one of those things where I have to look at the whole week.

“Making semi-finals of a Grand Slam is definitely something that I can be very happy with and really take that forward.”

• Edmund beaten by Cilic in semi-finals
• Listen: Edmund can be a top five player – Cash
• Live scores, schedule and results
• BBC coverage times

Despite the toll it clearly took to win five matches at a Slam for the first time, Edmund said he had relished the “battle”.

“There’s nothing better than winning best-of-five-set matches in tennis tournaments,” he said.

“Best-of-five sets should always stay in the men’s game. It’s a true test of quality and grit. You know, it’s a battle.”

Edmund’s ranking will rise from 49th to around 25th next week, and his career earnings of £1.5m will be boosted to the tune of £500,000.

He will not be embarking on a spending spree, however.

“It’s obviously a nice chunk of money, but there’s nothing I need,” said Edmund. “I have stuff in place, so I’m very happy with what I have around me.”

Asked about the increased attention he has experienced during the last 11 days in Melbourne, he said it “comes with the territory”, adding: “If you embrace it, I think you cope with it better.

“The top guys like Roger [Federer] and that, they have been doing it their whole life. They crack on and embrace it. It’s good to learn from them.”

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Briton Kyle Edmund’s Australian Open run came to an end with a straight-set defeat by Croatia’s sixth seed Marin Cilic in the semi-finals.

Cilic won 6-2 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 to reach his first Melbourne final, where he will face Roger Federer or Hyeon Chung.

Edmund, 23, had been trying to become just the fourth British man to reach a Grand Slam final since tennis turned professional in 1968.

His ranking is set to rise from 49th in the world to around 25th next week.

Victory would have seen him overtake Andy Murray as British number one, at least until the Scot makes his expected return from hip surgery for the grass-court season in June.

A remarkable run through the draw, which began with what was then a career-best win over 11th seed Kevin Anderson and included a stunning victory against third seed Grigor Dimitrov, ended in disappointment.

Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, dominated from the outset, while Edmund required a medical timeout after the first set and appeared to be hindered in the closing stages.

“I noticed in the third game in the third set, he let a couple of balls go,” said Cilic.

“I was seeing that his movement was restricted so I was trying to move the ball around.”

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No let-up as Cilic powers into final

Cilic, 29, was playing in his fifth major semi-final, and trying to reach a third Grand Slam final, while Edmund has yet to make it past the semi-finals of any ATP tournament.

The Yorkshireman’s powerful game has improved markedly in the new season but the gulf in experience ultimately showed in an authoritative performance from Cilic.

Two breaks points in the opening game of the match were the only ones Edmund would see all evening.

A double-fault on his opening serve pointed to nerves and Edmund was under pressure early, giving up the first break with a net cord in game six.

When Cilic thumped a forehand into the corner to break again, Edmund had just one winner on his favoured forehand side and had won only 50% of points on serve.

The Briton headed for the locker room and a medical timeout, but there was no obvious sign of distress as he dug in during the second set.

Fired up after an argument with the umpire over a call, Edmund forced a tie-break and kept in touch until 3-3, but he could not chase down a forehand on the run and Cilic raced to 6-3, converting his second break point.

Cilic continued to play aggressively, as he had done against Rafael Nadal in the previous round, keeping the points short and hitting hard and deep, with two breaks carrying him to the verge of victory in the third set.

The world number six dropped just five points behind his first serve and there was little Edmund could do to stop the sixth seed becoming the first Croat to reach the Australian Open final when he swung a serve out wide, before raising his arms aloft in triumph.

“I think in the second set I was a bit up and down with my game and not getting enough returns back,” added Cilic.

“He started to serve quite good. I stayed mentally very focused and tried to play every single point. It was crucial in the tie-break to keep that pressure.”

• Live scores, schedule and results
• BBC coverage times

Match stats

What’s next for Edmund?

Edmund is scheduled to head straight to Marbella for Great Britain’s Davis Cup tie against Spain, which begins next Friday.

Captain Leon Smith will anxiously await a medical update on the man who he hopes will lead his team in the absence of Murray.

Beyond that, a trip to the Rio Open on clay in February will be followed by back-to-back Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami in March.

With Murray set to lose the 500 ranking points he gained for winning last year’s Dubai title in February, Edmund could become British number one in the weeks to come.

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