Liam Broady disappointed by French Open first-round exit but pleased with “bigger picture” after qualifying for Roland Garros debut
Team Bath Tennis touring professional Liam Broady admitted his four-set French Open first-round exit to Czech Jiri Vesely was “disappointing” but said there were plenty of positives overall to take away from his performances at Roland Garros over the past two weeks.
Broady, who is coached by Team Bath Tennis Performance Consultant Dave Sammel, made his first appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam outside of Wimbledon when he lined up against Vesely on Court 10 on Monday.
After losing the first set 6-2, Broady fought back brilliantly to take the second 7-5 and then go an early break up in the third. However, Vesely reeled off five straight games to take the set and went on to wrap up a 6-2 5-7 6-3 6-2 victory.
“The performance today, there’s probably one word – disappointing,” said Broady, who had earned his place in the main draw in fantastic style by winning his three qualifying rounds without dropping a set last week.
“I felt like I could do better out there today. Obviously Jiri is a seasoned pro, he’s got a great serve and doesn’t make it easy to put your game on the court.
“To see the bigger picture I’m pleased with my run over the last week or two. I just wish I could have pushed it a bit further in the main draw.”
Broady is among a number of touring professionals who are supported on and off the circuit by coaches at the Team Bath Tennis International High-Performance Academy. Click here to find out more.
