Broady follows Murray out of Wimbledon

Liam Broady has failed in his bid to become the first Wimbledon boys’ singles champion since 1962.

The 17-year-old lost to Australia’s Luke Saville 2-6 6-4 6-2 after a rollercoaster match.

Cheered on by a near-capacity Court One crowd, Broady dominated in the first set, breaking his opponent twice and saving three break points.

But his bid to become Britain’s first boys champion since Stanley Matthews, son of the famous footballer Sir Stanley Matthews, foundered in the next two sets as a string of unforced errors took their toll.

The teenager was crowned European Masters under-14 champion in 2008 – a title once won by his hero Rafael Nadal.

Broady is coached by his father Simon Broady, 51, after a dispute with the Lawn Tennis Association.

He was the last British singles hope in the tournament after world number four Andy Murray crashed out in his semi-final against top seed Rafael Nadal on Friday.

Not only to get level with those guys, but to push past them, you need to work harder than them. That’s what I need to try to do. Andy Murray

Reflecting on a third consecutive semi-final defeat at SW19, Murray said: “You’ve just got to work harder than you have done in the past to get better. It’s a very tough era, I think, in tennis. Tennis right at the top of the game is exceptional.

“So not only to get level with those guys, but to push past them, you need to work harder than them. That’s what I need to try to do.

“I need to work 2 per cent, 3 per cent harder than I do just now and push myself to be the best athlete that I can be.

“Every week, every month, you learn something new in your training, in your matches, in practice, your diet, the gym, the training that you do. I just need to try and get better.”

Broady applauded the crowd of several thousand spectators for cheering him on, saying: “That was probably one of the best things today – my tennis wasn’t.

“It was a fantastic experience. They got behind me and helped me and made me fight.”

The teenager said he was proud of his achievements but was desperate to come back next year and win the title – then move on to winning the senior event at Wimbledon.