MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAú

March 25, 2021

Liam Broady

Press Conference

M. KECMANOVIC/L. Broady

7-5, 6-7, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How are you feeling about the match, the performance and the whole week of qualifying as well?

LIAM BROADY: I can't help but feel a bit disappointed. But it's difficult out there. It was a physical battle. You know, Kecmanovic, he's a great player. He's already becoming a seasoned pro at tour level. He's a physical beast compared to me, anyway.

I was in the hurt locker from three, four games in, and it didn't look like he was too bothered. I don't know whether he had a good poker face or what. Third set he got that second wind and he just run away with it.

I just think it's a different tempo that the guys play at this level compared to what I'm used to, but these are good lessons to take away. This is where I want to be, you know, and that's why I'm grinding away at the challengers, playing a lot of matches down there to get these opportunities to learn and to try and step up.

Q. What do you mean by it's a different tempo?

LIAM BROADY: I think the speed the guys play at, the intensity they play at, I mean, it's not a lot but maybe 5 or 10% higher to what I'm used to, myself and the players that I'm used to playing against play at.

At the futures there is a little bit of a tempo change, and at the challengers there is a step up and then obviously the main tour level these guys are at the top intensity. And it's where I want to be, but, you know, I can't help but be happy with the week I have had to have qualified, to have come through two close matches in quallies and then to have come reasonably close.

The first set could have gone either way and the second set could have gone either way, so maybe in another day I could have won in straights or he could have won in straights.

Yeah, rest up for a day or two and then back to it.

Q. You have been on the road for quite a while, so just wondering what that has been like, how you have kept yourself amused?

LIAM BROADY: Yeah, I mean, it's difficult, right? Like I have said to a couple of the guys like I was obviously, you know, supposed to go to France for those tournaments, those challenger tournaments in Cherbourg and stuff, and ended up with the travel restrictions changing pretty quick, so I then had to go to South Africa to play quallies and stuff.

I have not been home since, so I was there for two-and-a-half, maybe three weeks. Then I was going to play in Italy so we decided it was probably better not to risk the travel restrictions changing again and putting those tournaments in jeopardy, so I went over to Egypt where I knew there wouldn't be any travel restrictions then heading back into the EU. So I was in Egypt. I actually took a five-, six-day holiday, which was nice. I have not had one of those for a while.

Then I did a training week, went to Italy, played the challenger there. I was going to play the second one. Got a bit injured, and then didn't really want to risk it getting worse for the second one before coming out to obviously play Miami Qs which I snuck into last minute.

I guess that's kind of what COVID is like. All plans, you have to -- the tennis life is very fluid, anyway, but with COVID even more so. You have to be ready for (indiscernible) to drop 20, 30 places and to up and go to the next week that you had no idea you were going to go to.

I mean, yeah, I have probably been away for six or seven weeks now, but I think I will probably stay away from the UK until the grass court season now.

Q. What do you make of sort of the chat about the tour? There has obviously been some players who feel like the administration hasn't been what they were looking for. Have you kind of accepted this the way it is and gone with it, or do you kind of look at things that could be improved?

LIAM BROADY: Do you mean like with the bubbles and stuff?

Q. Yeah. Not all the players have been involved, but obviously we had some sort of -- Vasek Pospisil caused a news story saying he had been asking the tour to explain themselves, and some of the players have been talking about prize money and things. Wondered what your take on kind of the whole ATP...

LIAM BROADY: To be honest, I think when all that started I was probably -- well, I'm probably a little bit too low ranked still. I was probably too low ranked to be involved in those discussions (smiling). I'm not privy to the stuff that's being said.

But, I mean, I'm trying to stay out of it. I understand both sides. I mean, you know, I can't really talk about what's wrong on the tour, because I don't really play on it. I'm playing the Challenger Tour.

So I'm sure those guys have some valid complaints and I'm sure the ATP are hopefully listening and trying to do their best with it, as well.

You know, this week for me, it's been great. I know prize money has been cut and stuff. But that's the world we're living in right now. That's COVID for you. You know, I'm just grateful to have a job at the moment when a lot of people don't.

Q. Are you still mainly working with Dave coaching-wise?

LIAM BROADY: Yeah, yeah, still working with Dave. He was out in Italy with me last week. And then we decided I'd take this one on the fly and then link up with him again after. I think I'm going to go play -- hopefully. I mean, I'm 11 out of quallies of the 250 in Italy right now, but I'm going to go and try and sign in and see if I sneak into the quallies there. Then head out to Belgrade for a couple of tournaments. I think Dave will see me out in Belgrade, yeah.

Q. Jack Draper collapsed, retired from his match with a back problem. What advice can you give him?

LIAM BROADY: I mean, it was a tough one. I was watching his match and saw what happened.

I'm not sure -- what was the reason for the withdrawal? What was the reason given?

Q. Back injury.

LIAM BROADY: Back injury.

Q. And the heat.

LIAM BROADY: Yeah. It's funny, like my first day out here, I actually practiced with Andy at Crandon Park, and we hit for like 45 minutes, an hour. Andy was heckling me quite a lot because we were hitting down the middle and I was, you know, the heat was getting to me then.

It's tough out here, and again today it was -- the first set of my match and the second set of my match it was a real struggle physically. Obviously I kind of was prepared because I had seen what had happened to Jack, so I knew to kind of manage myself the best I could.

I think today was hotter than the days I played in qualifying. It definitely felt that way. It gets difficult to breathe when the humidity is like that.

I mean, Jack, he's so young and he's so good. I think he's gonna be just fine and he's gonna be playing probably Miami, the Miami Open, for years to come.

I think he'll learn from this. He's a smart guy. He'll come back stronger for it.

Q. What did you make of Andy in terms of hitting with him? We haven't seen him on the court much. He's been so unlucky with the COVID and his latest injury and stuff.

LIAM BROADY: Yeah, I mean, the hit we had it was his first day off the flight and he was hitting the ball like a ton of bricks. It was only a light hit, but, yeah, I mean, I'm a mere mortal compared to Andy, so I can't really comment on his game, but he looked great to me.

I was surprised a few days later when he told me what happened. I don't know. I think he injured his groin on something. So, yeah, I was disappointed, I was looking forward to seeing him play out here and seeing him around the tournament.

But, you know, I mean, he's got to do what's best for his body, and if he's feeling something that's not right, then he can't take the risk, right? He can't risk it getting worse. I'm sure he's desperate to play, and I'm sure he's doing what's best. So, yeah.

Q. I think you might be at your career high after this week. I was wondering what you feel is the difference between kind of making the step up even higher?

LIAM BROADY: Yeah. Yeah, I feel like probably a few things. It's funny, because last summer playing some of those British tournaments I was probably playing some of the worst tennis I ever played.

I felt more focused within myself than I ever have, so it felt a bit strange that I was on it but my tennis just wasn't there, and I kind of felt like I just had to keep on doing what I was doing and it would eventually come.

And the good thing about those British exhibition tournaments was I played a hell of a lot of matches, which then put me in good stead for French, quallied for French which gave me a kind of feel-good factor back.

So I think the big one is mainly the stuff off the court, really. I mean, it's such a cliché, but taking care of the little things off the court, behaving correctly, and knowing why I'm doing it.

And I think, to be honest, COVID has probably benefited me quite a lot in the sense that now I can't leave the hotel even if I want to. You know, I can't go and get up to mischief and misbehave and, you know, it sounds bad but my tennis is benefiting from it. So, yeah.