Walton-on-Thames squash star Tom Richards is knocking on the door of the world top 10.

And the 25-year-old is looking forward to doing well next week in London’s premier tournament, the Canary Wharf Classic.

Richards is also pleased to be playing a tournament just a short distance from home after travelling thousands of miles already this season in pursuit of prize money and points on the PSA World Tour.

In the build-up to Canary Wharf, he has competed in the USA, Canada, Sweden and Kuwait. Now he has a big chance of climbing higher in the rankings with a likely clash looming with England number three Peter Barker.

Both face qualifiers in the first round are seeded to meet in the quarter-finals. Victory for England number four Richards would be a massive breakthrough after an already impressive season.

It would also provide a significant result against a friend and international colleague who has helped Richards to “toughen up” for life at the top of the game.

Richards said: “I have a lot of respect for Peter Barker and fellow England team-mate Daryl Selby. They have both taught me a lot about the game over the years.

“As a young professional I was lucky enough to get on court with Peter a lot, and he provided the baptism of fire that toughened me up for the tour.”

Climbing up the rankings has been a tough process and Richards cites a major success in Canada last year as major stepping stone.

He added: “Winning the Montreal Open was a real breakthrough for me, both in terms of a ranking boost and also mentally as it gave me belief.

“In that tournament I beat two incredibly talented and experienced players, Hisham Ashour of Egypt in the semis and former world champion Thierry Lincou of France in the final.

“Apart from that I have been consistent over the year and that has helped to improve my ranking up to its current level.”

A win over Barker would propel Richards into a likely semi-final with national number one Nick Matthew, the most successful English player in history with three British Open titles, two World Open triumphs and a three-time winner at Canary Wharf.

Richards added: “Nick has achieved so much, too, and is constantly looking to adapt his training to stay on top and it is his work ethic that I can really relate to.

“To win Canary Wharf is one of my goals this year. My aim is to get into the top 10 and that goes hand in hand with beating the top eight guys. I’ve never made the quarters of a World Series event so I’d also like to achieve that.

“Reaching the top 10 has been a goal of mine for a long time and it’s why I train hard on a daily basis. I now feel like I'm in a position where I can warrant a place among the world’s best so it’s just a question of producing in tournaments.

“My home club is St George’s Hill in Weybridge, and having a permanent all-glass court there is a massive boost.

“It helps you to get ready to play on the glass court, which is used for all major tournaments.

“I do a lot of training on my own and this will be mainly in the gym doing anything from endurance-based sessions to really short, sharp interval sessions. I also do a lot of circuits with power, endurance-based weights.

“As a general rule I’d say I get on court around five times a week. That could be feeding sessions, matches or group practice. I’ve been working a lot with Chris Robertson, the England national coach, who has helped me greatly.”