On paper – and also, in all likelihood, on clay or a hard court, too – there was a gulf in class between Liam Broady and Casper Ruud before their second-round match on Centre Court on Thursday. On grass, however, it was a very different story, and Broady brilliantly exploited his opponent’s clear uncertainty on the surface to reach the third round for the second year running, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.
Ruud had arrived on court as the No 4 seed, the same as his current world ranking, while the British player started the day 138 places further down the list. The Norwegian has several useful weapons in his armoury that should make him a real force on grass, including a rock-solid forehand and a power-packed serve, and his all-round game had seen him reach the final in three of his last five slams.
But what Ruud lacks on grass is belief, and Broady knew it and exploited it from the start, sending him one way and the other and then back again on the baseline. Ruud spent much of the afternoon engaged in muttering and head-shaking, often after a mis-hit forehand had spun wildly beyond the baseline or into the second tier of seats, and with the occasional suspicious glance at the green stuff beneath his feet for good measure.
It all telegraphed his anxieties to the other end of the court, and what little self-confidence the Norwegian gained from narrowly edging the second and third sets visibly drained away as Broady attacked from every angle, taking the match into what proved to be a one-sided decider.
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Some of Broady’s shot-making as he raced away with the fifth was astonishing, and his own self-belief did not waver at any stage. By the time Ruud reached 0-4 on his own serve in the fifth, however, the Norwegian had thrown in the towel, and did not even bother to move towards a pass when Broady chased down a heavy-handed drop. With defeat already accepted, his third service game in the fifth set went the same way as the first two, and Broady closed it out a couple of minutes later to the rapturous delight of the Centre Court crowd.
“It was a pretty terrifying, exhilarating experience coming out on Centre Court at Wimbledon, but it’s been my dream since I was five years old,” Broady told the crowd after setting up a third-round match against Denis Shapovalov.
“Denis is one of the best players in the world, as Casper is, and he won junior Wimbledon I think. But with a crowd like this, why not? Let’s go again.”
Ruud told the post-match press conference that he was largely satisfied with his performance, despite his nagging insecurity on grass.
“I think Liam played really well and he deserved the victory for sure,” he said. “I started good then messed up and lost the first, bounced back and won the second and third. Four just got away at the beginning, he broke and I couldn’t break back and in the fifth, he was just dominant.”
Meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka will lock horns again with old rival Novak Djokovic in the third round.
Wawrinka, 38, defeated 29th seed Tomas Etcheverry 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-2 to reach the last 32 at the All England Club for the first time since 2015.
The Swiss veteran has won only six of their 26 previous meetings but two of those came in Grand Slam finals, at the French Open in 2015 and the US Open the following year, while he has also beaten him at the Australian Open.
They have played only twice since, with Wawrinka facing a long road back after knee and foot surgeries, but he has finally returned to the top 100 and will take on Djokovic for the first time on grass.
“I will enjoy it if I don’t get killed,” he said with a smile. “I’m quite happy to have the chance to play against him on grass at least one time before I finish playing. It’s going to be a big challenge. Hopefully I can play a high level and be competitive.”
The match will be the oldest combined age for a men’s singles match at Wimbledon since Ken Rosewall faced Barry Phillips-Moore in 1974.
Djokovic, 36, is now on a 30-match winning streak at Wimbledon and will be a big favourite but he will be wary of the power of Wawrinka.
“He took away two Grand Slams from me,” said the seven-time Wimbledon champion.
“After several surgeries of his knees, he keeps going strong and trying to create some more history for himself and tennis. We cannot forget that he’s a three-time Grand Slam champion and Davis Cup winner and also Olympic gold. He had a fantastic career.
“One of the nicest one-handed backhands that I have ever played against, ever seen. Very powerful player. Very strong. Very complete. He can play equally well on all surfaces.”
