Liam Broady sent a heartfelt message to one of his rivals after pulling out of Australian Open qualifying. The British No. 5 announced that he had two bone stresses in his ankle and wanted to give a fully fit player the chance to play. It meant that world No. 239 Laurent Lokoli got into the qualifying draw after he travelled to Australia not knowing whether or not he’d be able to compete.
Broady enjoyed a strong start to 2024 as he came through qualifying to reach the last 16 of the Hong Kong Open, losing to top seed Andrey Rublev. The 30-year-old looked set to carry his momentum into Australian Open qualifying but he announced his withdrawal on Sunday, explaining that he wanted to give someone else a chance to try and reach the main draw.
And it was the right decision, as the spot ended up going to someone he knew well. Frenchman Lokoli was given a spot in qualifying and thanked Broady for his showing of sportsmanship, receiving an emotional message in return. The 29-year-old said: “Liam, I wish you a speedy recovery. We are born same year and we know each other since childhood.
“Today you have shown how fair you are off the court as well. Thank you for letting another player compete meanwhile you could have played. Great sportsmanship. I wish u the best.” And the Brit was delighted to see the world No. 239 take his place, replying: “Love you bro. You took the risk to come and it paid off! Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Good luck.”
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Broady received a medical time out during his 6-4 7-6(8) defeat to Rublev in Hong Kong earlier this week and got an MRI when he arrived in Melbourne for Australian Open qualifying. In a statement, the world No. 108 wrote: “Sad to say I have had to withdraw from the AO. I have two bone stresses in my ankle that got worse in Hong Kong until I felt I couldn’t move properly on court in my last match.
“When I arrived in Melbourne I got an MRI which confirmed what the pain was. If I continue to play there’s a high chance they could become fractures and instead of a month out it could be three. Although tempting to play injured and take full prize money I felt it wasn’t right when other competitors have a better chance fully fit.”
