THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 30, 2021

Liam Broady

Press Conference

D. SCHWARTZMAN/L. Broady

4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It looked like the crowd really got into that match, really enjoyed it. How was it for you?

LIAM BROADY: Yeah, it was a tough match. I mean, the intensity that Diego brings to the court physically and mentally is pretty scary, I guess. I have not played against many players of that sort of level before, and, you know, that's why he is where he is. I think he's 9th or 10th in the world.

So, I mean, after the first set and a half, I was really feeling it in my legs, and I think the scoreline kind of suggested that. I think after the third set we had been on court for like two-and-a-half hours or something, for three pretty straightforward sets. At the end of the fourth, I kind of, you know, started to lean on the crowd a little bit, try and get them a little bit involved, just to mix things up.

Obviously, you know, if it can rile up Diego, as well, you never know. He handled it pretty well, but they really helped me find a second wind and try and make a bit more of a match of it. You know, I hope everybody enjoyed themselves. I definitely did. It made it fantastic at the end.

Q. I guess for yourself, is it so important that you build on this and hopefully 12 months' time when you're back at Wimbledon you return a better player than you are now?

LIAM BROADY: Yeah, exactly. I mean, my improvement has been pretty steep over the last year or so. So, I mean, if I can maintain the same upwards curve, I'd be pretty interested to see where I can go, I think.

For the last few months, next couple of months, I'm going to keep trying to play against these guys. Obviously, I guess, when I qualified for Miami this year, that was the first time I have played a top-60 player for a long time. The following week I qualified for a 250 and played Struff in the second round, who I think was 45 in the world at the time. These guys just play at a different level to what I'm used to.

Again at Queen's and Eastbourne, fantastic experiences, and again here against Diego. These are the guys I want to play against. These are guys that you learn the most against and learn where you need to improve.

I feel a better player now than I was even two or three months ago, even if my results might not have shown it, because the caliber of player obviously is greater than what I'm used to.

Q. I know you come from a tennis background, your sister is professional. Must have been a bit more difficult because of coronavirus. Have your family been able to come and support you, your parents been able to watch your matches or anything during Wimbledon?

LIAM BROADY: Yeah, I mean, my family have been watching on the TV. They only really tend to come to Wimbledon, to be honest (smiling).

No, they support all year round, they watch all my matches on the Internet and stuff. Obviously have their own lives back home to get on with. You know, COVID was really difficult. I think it definitely brought my family closer together, anyway, because we kind of just had to be around each other 24 hours a day for three or four months straight.

My mum and my oldest sister and her two daughters are actually on the train down to come and watch at Wimbledon tomorrow, which, you know, which will be fantastic for them. I think I've got to make third round for my family to watch me at Wimbledon (smiling).

You know, maybe next year. We'll have to see.

Q. I just wondered, this week what you actually learned, now you're at the end of it, and whether the US Open is something you're going to try to target towards the end of the year if you can try and come through qualifying?

LIAM BROADY: Yeah, it's difficult. You know, that's why I was so appreciative to the All England for the wildcard here, because at the end of the day, there are probably 25 guys in qualifying that could make third round of Wimbledon, but they all just happen to beat each other looking for the spots for qualifying that they're all fighting over.

So it's kind of a minefield in qualifying. Everyone is hungry, everyone can play, and some of the guys are specialists on the surface that it's on. It's tough.

So, you know, at the end of the day I've just got to focus on myself, focus on my game, keep doing what I'm doing. Qualifying for the US Open will always be a target. I think that's probably the slam I have done the worst at in qualifying in the past.

But, you know, I'm going to try and go out for that U.S. swing, try and play some more of the ATPs, keep playing up, and just learn as quick as I can. Hopefully that will be in time for the U.S. Top 100 by the end of the year is definitely a goal now, and it's a very real goal. So I guess, you know, aiming for main draw of Australia by right would be a good target.

Q. I wanted to ask how you managed to turn things around so dramatically in that first set and looked like you were going to do something similar in the end there. What was behind that?

LIAM BROADY: I don't know. I mean, I think with Diego, obviously he's probably one of the best returners in the world. His serves, I mean, they're still good but it's probably not as strong as the rest of his game. I always knew there were going to be breaks of serve in the match. Maybe didn't realize there would be quite as many breaks of my serve.

Yeah, when he went a break up I wasn't panicking much. I kind of knew that I'd have chances, managed to take my chances and then when he was serving to stay in the set he got a little bit nervous, which is tough, you know. At the end of the day, the coin toss makes a big difference. I always try and serve first, especially on the grass for those situations. It's easier serving when you're ahead or to go ahead.

And then fourth set, I mean, as I said, the crowd really helped me, kind of helped alter the balance and the energy of the match a little bit. I was running on fumes, but almost managed to turn it around, but didn't quite manage it in the fourth.