Wimbledon: First-day hero Broady swears leniency is shown towards top players

Liam Broady celebrates victory over Marinko Matosevic. Picture: Adam Davy/PA.Liam Broady celebrates victory over Marinko Matosevic. Picture: Adam Davy/PA.
Liam Broady celebrates victory over Marinko Matosevic. Picture: Adam Davy/PA.
Liam Broady believes tennis’s top stars are let off lightly for swearing on court by “intimidated” umpires.

British star Broady claimed his maiden Wimbledon victory by edging a five-set thriller with Marinko Matosevic at SW19 yesterday.

The 21-year-old has already guaranteed himself £47,000 ahead of his second-round clash with 16th seed David Goffin, but could lose almost £2,000 of that in a fine for swearing.

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Broady admitted he deserved the fine, but questioned whether the sanctions are consistent across the sport.

Liam Broady celebrates victory over Marinko Matosevic at Wimbledon yesterday (Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire).Liam Broady celebrates victory over Marinko Matosevic at Wimbledon yesterday (Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire).
Liam Broady celebrates victory over Marinko Matosevic at Wimbledon yesterday (Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire).

“Emotions run high when you’re on court and I deserved the code violation,” said Broady, who edged past Matosevic 5-7 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-3. “I was swearing quite a lot at the back, but I thought no one would hear it.

“I just said to him (the umpire) there are guys who do it on Centre Court much worse, they shout at the top of their voices and they get nothing.

“I think it’s a $2,500 fine – I wouldn’t have sworn if I’d known how much it was.

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“It’s really strange sometimes to see guys like that get away with it. I think maybe sometimes the umpires are intimidated by them and don’t give it to them. But I deserved it.

“Being from Manchester and 21, my friends and people I know, they swear. But it’s not right to do it obviously in front of a couple of thousand people, especially when there’s young kids in the crowd. It means everything to win my first grand slam match, I couldn’t be happier. I travel more than anything, 35 to 40 weeks of the year, and that’s what the prize money’s great for.”

Broady’s sister Naomi cheered him on from the stands, before he returned the favour in her defeat to Colombia’s Mariana Duque-Marino. But the Stockport man said he had no plans to spend any time with estranged father Simon who still coaches his sister.

The Broady family broke from the Lawn Tennis Association in 2007 after Naomi was handed a ban when pictures of her draped over a condom machine on a night out made their way onto social media. Liam moved back under the LTA umbrella three years ago, and was promptly shunned by his father.

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Broady claimed it was always the right call to rejoin the LTA’s programme. “I had to grow up and mature as a person, not just a tennis player, filing your tax, getting your own racquets strung, booking your own flights. You need to learn and realise you’re not in an enclosed world anymore.”

Wimbledon review, results and order of play: Page 18.

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