J. VESELY/L. Broady
6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. How would you assess that performance? How would you assess your run here at the French Open?
LIAM BROADY: The performance today, there's probably one word: disappointing. Obviously 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.
Obviously to see the bigger picture, pleased with my run over the last week or two. Wish I could have pushed it a bit further in the main draw. Pack the bags and we go again next week over in Spain.
Q. I know that you set yourself a few career goals this year. The first one was to stop hitting yourself after you served. The second one was to get a tan. The third one was to really try and break out onto the ATP Tour. Can you give us a frank assessment of each of those career targets?
LIAM BROADY: It's funny, since I made that goal, I've actually not hit myself on the shin. Hopefully that maintains (smiling).
But the tan hasn't done so well. I'm not sure you're allowed to practice topless here, so that's gone down the pan a little bit.
Yeah, I mean, again, I can't get away from feeling disappointed with the performance. Having said that, I got a set off a guy ranked 70 in the world on a surface I'm probably not that comfortable on, without feeling like I was really hitting my stride and playing very well. Again, credit to Jiri. He's got some incredible depth, and actually is a deceptively good mover out there on the clay, with a fantastic serve as well.
I guess maybe should be pleased with that in a sense as well, but again I didn't play too well but generated a few chances.
Q. Looking at the match today, it seemed like you were turning it round in the third set. What happened after that?
LIAM BROADY: Yeah, I think was it a set all and a break up, 3-1?
Q. Yes.
LIAM BROADY: I mean, he's obviously a bit of a wily competitor. I wasn't maybe getting as many free points out of his backhand as I wanted to. It's funny because I don't often play a guy with as flat a shot from that deuce side as I have. It makes it incredibly difficult because you have to play up on every shot.
Yeah, I mean, I think my first serve definitely dried up a lot which made it a lot more difficult, a lot less free points from that. Just lost a bit of shape on my forehand, which is something I've been working massively on over the last six weeks, which is one of the reason I'm a bit upset with myself. That's something to learn and take away from the match definitely.
Q. Throwing it ahead to the events coming up over the next couple months, next season as well, are you worried you're going to have enough opportunities to play at challenger level initially, given the tournaments that have been canceled? Also any concerns about the lack of money that's going to be played into ATP and challenger events?
LIAM BROADY: Yeah, I mean, it's tough to say, isn't it? Over the next month or two, there are still a few events on. I mean, I actually fudged up my entries a little bit. I messed up my entries. I'm going to be playing a qualifying event in Alicante, a challenger on the clay, which will probably be brutal against some absolute Spanish dirt ballers. That's what you get for messing up.
Then after that I'm going to try and play a couple of the ATP quallies, hopefully get into some of those. I'm not sure what the schedule is after that. I've heard rumors from a few people that the year might be getting packed up pretty early.
I don't know really. I mean, I guess we should be grateful that we've been able to compete at all this year. I understand it's a pretty tough thing for the ATP to be going through obviously.
Yeah, I mean, not much else to say on that. I think I'm not sure if you guys have heard, but there's plans for there to be a preseason out in Australia. Obviously get out there before Christmas, do a sort of 10- to 14-day quarantine over there, then get going. I guess we'll have to be out early for that, as well.
Q. It's been quite a journey for you. I wanted to ask you about Dave Sammel's input. He's an experienced coach. What has he brought to the team? How has he improved your game?
LIAM BROADY: I mean, it's tough to say because obviously I've been working with Dave now, we worked together in 2014 for about a year, then got together about a year later. We've been together now for another three or four years. I've known Dave since I was three, four years old. I actually first started playing tennis at Matchpoint just outside of Cheadle, which is actually where Dave's first program was that he ran. Very a long-standing history.
He often kind of gives me that inspiration to play, wants me to be playing in a way that's exciting, which maybe not a lot of coaches want players to play. He sees my game in a place that's competing at the upper levels of the game, which of course is fantastic to have someone who has that belief in you.
I think it was nice for him this tournament to kind of justify some of the things he's been saying to me over the last three, four years, when my results haven't been going as well as they have. I wouldn't put that down to his coaching as much as maybe sometimes my professionalism a little bit off the court. Hopefully we can push on from this and just see what the ceiling is.
Q. You were quite open during the shutdown talking about how difficult it is to financially make it anyway, much less when you have so few events. Were you even able to pay your support people during the lockdown? Is that another ripple effect that maybe we don't see as tough as it is for players outside the top 50, the support crew also suffers?
LIAM BROADY: Yeah, exactly. I mean, if I'd been able to pay my team, I haven't been able to pay them much at all, due to obviously the corona crisis. Dave has been fantastic with that. I know he has his online program Mindset College that he's really working on quite hard, or has been over the lockdown period.
Obviously I guess he's been having to look for other areas of income. My S&C coach actually came with me to the first Battle of the Brits, so I was able to pay him from some of the pot prize money from that.
Because at the end of the day as a business, if you haven't got any money coming in, it's hard to pay your employees, isn't it? I'm pretty sure -- well, I don't know. I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to furlough my employees like businesses are, they have done over the corona crisis.
Q. Nine, 10 years ago Jiri was like a rival of yours on the junior circuit. Pushed ahead quite a bit since then. 10 years later, what is it like coming up against him now? You've won a set off him. Does it sort of inspire you maybe you can catch up with him again?
LIAM BROADY: Like you say, it's funny, the last time I actually played him, I think he was world No. 1 in the juniors. After the run of the two weeks, I actually played him two weeks in a row over the grass court season, then I became No. 2 because of that run I'd had before that period when I actually played him for the first time. I think I was a bit of a nobody. So it was quite an experience.
I was the underdog very much back then, as well. 10 years later, same thing again, I'm a massive underdog here. But he managed to get me. As you say, he pushed away from me. But the plan is to try and reel him back in, get back to this level.
I think from today and from the past week, I think I do have the skill set to be able to get up there. It's just going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication.
Q. By qualifying for the main draw, I think you missed your mum's birthday. What is the plan of action there as far as a present?
LIAM BROADY: Yeah, I mean, I had a spare bottle of champagne in the house that I actually won at the second Battle of the Brits. I managed to get my little baby niece to get that to my mom. Looked like I planned it very well. Hopefully she doesn't see this and realize it was very last minute (laughter).
Q. How does it feel to be competing again at a Grand Slam? We haven't seen you for quite a bit. Want to explain that maybe a little bit.
LIAM BROADY: Yeah, no, it feels good. It feels a little bit different. A few years ago, the last one I think I played Milos Raonic, and he absolutely destroyed me out on Court 1. It doesn't feel very comfortable at all. I obviously got there with a wild card.
This time qualifying it definitely felt like I belonged, deserved to be here. Definitely a very different feeling, but one that I want to recreate.
Q. Will we be able to see you at the next Grand Slam down the road in Australia?
LIAM BROADY: Yeah, I'll be heading over there, like I said, early December I imagine to try and prepare as well as I can, try to qualify for that as well.
Q. Just wanted your thoughts, if none of the Brits are able to win, if we get all the Brits going out first round, does that reflect anything on the way British tennis is run, our attitude to clay perhaps?
LIAM BROADY: I hope not (laughter). No, I don't think so. I mean, some years... It's sport, isn't it? Hard to predict what's going to happen. Some years I don't know what's happened at other years and other slams with Brit players going out early.
Hopefully Cam can win today and go deep in the tournament. I fully believe he's the type of player that can do well here. He's had some good results on the clay. I think definitely if he can build up a head of steam, it would be tough to stop. The same with Heather. Both great people, both work very hard.
Fingers crossed, they can fly the flag for Great Britain and they don't set any records for the amounts of players going out in the first round.
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