Wimbledon absentee faced 'sackable offence' accusation before Andy Murray's 'spanner' jibe

It is approaching two years since Liam Broady made British tennis history at Wimbledon. The 31-year-old enjoyed a memorable five-set victory over then world No. 4 Casper Rudd at the All England Club, becoming the first British wildcard to record a win over a top-five player at a Grand Slam in the Open Era.

Broady, who failed to qualify for the tournament this year, faced Rudd in the second round at Wimbledon after winning his opening match against France's Constant Lestienne in 2023. The Brit clinched the first set against Rudd on his way to a 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory. However, while the opening set was still in the balance, Broady was jokingly accused of committing a "sackable offence" by BBC commentator Andrew Castle after opting for an ill-timed trick shot.

As Broady attempted to level the first set at 3-3, Rudd went for a lob shot that failed to end a tense rally. Rather than returning a lob to his opponent, Broady attempted a backhand while facing away from his opponent, which went out of play and didn't go down well with Castle or his coach David Sammel.

"His coach is going, 'Don't do that, you could have lobbed that easily,'" Castle said. "The crowd loved it but he had plenty of time to get back and at least have a chance of winning the point.

"If he loses this point, his coach will be writing that one down and remembering that one. That is a sackable offence." Fortunately for Broady, who sat 142nd in the world rankings, he took the first set and eventually won the match on Centre Court.

A few months after his win over Rudd, Broady earned his career-high ranking of 95th in September 2023. However, he also became known for his online interactions with Andy Murray, who took aim at Broady last year.

Posting on X, Broady wrote: "There's a kid on this flight with an iPad, watching a tv show in the top left corner of the screen with subtitles on. All whilst playing a video game on the full screen. Is this me getting old thinking that's unhealthy for their brain?"

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This prompted a barbed reply from Murray after recalling an incident from earlier in their careers. "I remember once seeing this kid playing a computer game in the lobby of a hotel in Antwerp on his laptop, headphones on with microphone attached," Murray said. "Speaking to his friends whilst using WhatsApp with his free hand.

"His name was Liam Broady and look how he turned out... Spanner." Broady could see the funny said and responded: "Guilty as charged."

Broady, who now sports a new look with a beard and longer locks, has reached the main draw at Wimbledon on seven occasions during his career. However, he failed to return this year for the first time since 2019 after losing a qualifying match to Hamish Stewart in June.

The setback does not seem to have had a lasting impact on Broady, though, as he celebrated winning a doubles event last week. Partnering fellow Brit Charlie Robertson, the pair won the M25 doubles title in Elvas, Portugal.

Broady is currently ranked 557th in men's singles by the ATP, making him the British No. 25. His latest singles title came in March at the M15 Foggia event on the ITF Tour.