But a knee injury following his appearance in the Apawamis Open in January 2004 caused the Australian to return to Sydney from his UK base in Reading for treatment.

"This is a big moment for me, I've been waiting for this for a long time," said the Ricketts after beating the Frenchman 11–10 7–11 11–9 6–11 11–7 in 89 minutes to take what was then the biggest title of his career.

In the 2005 British Open in Manchester, the sixth-seeded Ricketts beat Peter Nicol in the semi-finals, then another Englishman James Willstrop in straight games in the final to add his name to those already on this prestigious trophy.

3 in the world rankings – making him the top-ranked Australian for the first time – and he maintained his momentum through to November's Qatar Classic where he reached the semi-finals as seventh seed.

The UK-based Aussie's success continued into 2006, when he reached the final of the Canary Wharf Classic in London in February, then gained the silver medal (with Stewart Boswell) in the Commonwealth Games doubles in Melbourne.