Rafael Nadal and Liam Broady selflessly withdraw from Australian Open before qualifying deadline
A group of tennis players will be tens of thousands richer — with the chance to win even more money — after Rafael Nadal and Liam Broady selflessly withdrew from the Australian Open before a qualifying deadline.
Nadal announced his decision on Sunday in a late-night hammer blow to the tournament, having picked up another hip injury at the Brisbane International last week.
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Hours earlier Broady had gone public with his injury-enforced exit from the qualifying draw and spelled out the two reasons he made the call despite acknowledging he could have played on while sore.
“Sad to say I have had to withdraw from the AO,” he wrote.
“I have two bone stresses in my ankle that got worse in Hong Kong (last week) 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.”
Nadal similarly flew to the Victorian capital after playing in Brisbane despite concerns over his participation in the grand slam.
Nadal underwent an MRI and made the swift decision to take his name out of the draw, potentially ending his hopes of a proper farewell to Melbourne before retiring from the sport.
“Right now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level of exigence in 5 sets matches. I’m flying back to Spain to see my doctor, get some treatment and rest,” the Spaniard wrote.
“Within the sad news for me for not being able to play in front of the amazing Melbourne crowds, this is not very bad news and we all remain positive with the evolution for the season.”
The two withdrawals set off a silver lining that proved lucrative.
Nadal’s exit nudged world No.100 Quentin Halys into the main draw — a place worth $120,000 — while Halys’s move up and Broady’s departure combined to give two players a spot in qualifying and a guaranteed $31,250 in prize money.
World No.239 Laurent Lokoli was one of those lucky alternates and shared his appreciation to Broady in a touching exchange on social media.
“Liam, I wish you a speedy recovery. We are born (the) same year and we know each other since childhood,” Lokoli wrote.
“Today you have shown how fair you are off the court as well. Thank you for letting another player compete while you could have play. Great sportsmanship. I wish you the best.”
Broady wrote: “Love you bro. You took the risk to come (to Australia) and it paid off! Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Good luck.”
Qualifying officially begins on Monday but has been affected by heavy rain in Melbourne.
Players who reach the second round of qualifying will pocket $44,100 while those who make it to the third round will bank $65,000.
Successful qualifiers will take home $120,000 if they lose in the first round of the main draw.
