World number four Casper Ruud failed in the second round of the 136th All England Championships with a miserable performance at the end. The Norwegian, a two-time French Open finalist and notoriously not a fan of tennis on grass, lost 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 to Englishman Liam Broady. The 29-year-old Broady is only number 142 in the world.
“It’s a surprise from the world rankings, but there’s no doubt that he’s a much better lawn tennis player than me,” said Ruud, admitting: “He simply dominated the fifth set, it was a good Wimbledon up to that point for me. I’m quite satisfied.” It is difficult for him and his style to assert himself on grass.
Last year, Ruud made his aversion to lawn tennis very strikingly known for the first time. “I think grass is for golfers. Most of my preparation for Wimbledon is just playing golf because at the moment I feel more comfortable on the grass of a golf course than on a tennis court,” Ruud had said.