From Wimbledon to Winnipeg

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This article was published 17/08/2023 (776 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Liam Broady brought his A-game from Wimbledon to Winnipeg.

The 29-year-old from Great Britain enjoyed the biggest win of his career last month when he took down Casper Ruud, the No. 4-ranked player in the world at the time, in five sets to reach the third round of Wimbledon.

The victory earned him a cheque for nearly $200,000.

“I remember sneaking into Wimbledon when I was 10 years old with my dad and pretending to be under the age of eight so we could get in for free. We’d sneak onto the centre court there to watch guys like (Andre) Agassi,” Broady, who went on to lose to Canadian Denis Shapovalov, told the Free Press on Thursday.

“If somebody showed up with a ticket, then we’d move out of the seat. We were so far away the players looked like ants. And then to play on that court myself and to actually win a match, it was incredible.”

The momentum from the Grand Slam on grass has carried through to this week’s Winnipeg National Bank Challenger at the brand new Tennis Manitoba Hub in West St. Paul.

Broady punched his ticket to Friday’s semifinal with a 7-6, 6-4 victory over fellow countryman Billy Harris in Thursday’s early draw. Broady will now meet Switzerland’s Leandro Riedi.

The other semifinal features United Kingdom’s Ryan Peniston and the winner of Thursday night’s late match between No. 1 seed Jack Draper, another UK standout, and France’s Arthur Cazaux.

Draper was ranked No. 38 in the world at the beginning of the year before injuries slowed him down.

The championship match takes place on Saturday.

If Broady can finish the job and win it all, his ranking will ascend into the top 100. His highest ranking was 116, and he’s currently No. 123.

He also has a chance to become the first player to win two professional events in the Keystone province as he captured the Manshield Men’s Futures at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club back in 2014. This is his third time competing in Winnipeg as he bowed out in last year’s quarterfinals to Canadian Alexis Galarneau.

“I love Winnipeg. I have a really good relationship with a lot of the guys behind the scenes here,” said Broady.

“Having known them for almost 10 years now, I feel really welcome every time I come back. I have a big hug with the tournament organizers and the transportation guys. There’s a few tournaments a year that always feel like a second home and that’s why I always try to come back here.”

Broady made a name for himself in the junior ranks where he was ranked second in the world. When he was 17, he jumped out to an early lead in the 2011 Wimbledon junior final before coughing up the match to Australian Luke Saville. That result haunted him in the early portion of his pro career as he went on to lose seven finals in a row.

His first Challenger victory came in 2021 in Switzerland. He’d capture a second Challenger crown in 2023 in Lithuania.

The blood, sweat, and tears of being a professional tennis player has not been easy. His sister Naomi knows the struggle as she also used to play and was ranked 76th in 2016.

“Your average person gets to go to school, you get to hang out with your friends. As you get to college and university you get to party and have a good time and live a fun life. My dad had a plan set out for me that I was going to be a professional tennis player, so, I’ve dedicated every year of my life to the sport from the age of four years old,” said Broady.

”I went to school, but I was already playing 30 tournaments abroad a year, which was difficult for me as a kid not being able to socialize as you want… So, to be honest, tennis has just become my life. My life has revolved around tennis for 25 years. Even if I had a career ending injury today, after that win against Ruud, it kind of made it all feel like it was for a reason.”

Despite the highs and lows, and all the sacrifices in between, Broady is happy with the path he’s on and feels he’s entering his prime.

“I’m grateful to my dad and more than anything, I’m grateful to the sport for the opportunities that I got. I get to come to places like Winnipeg and realistically, I never would’ve came to Winnipeg.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31