Latest news with #DanEvans
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Andy Murray reveals his tennis game is 'DIABOLICAL' after retiring as British icon opens court named after him at Queen's - and shares his poignant connection to this week's inaugural women's tournament
Andy Murray rued his 'diabolical' tennis game nearly a year on from his retirement as the two-time Wimbledon winner opened the newly named Andy Murray Arena at The Queen's Club on Monday morning. The three-time Grand Slam winner hung up his racquet after a battling performance at last summer's Paris Olympics alongside Dan Evans, with the veteran duo reaching the quarter-finals in heroic fashion before their defeat to American duo Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul. Murray opted not to rest on his laurels in the early stages of his retirement, and shocked the tennis world when he announced that his joining the coaching team of former rival Novak Djokovic ahead of the Australian Open. Although he and the 24-time Grand Slam winner were able to reach the quarter-finals after a statement win against Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic was forced to retire due to injury in his semi-final versus Alexander Zverev. The pair split ahead of the French Open after a dip in form and a number of first-round exits at the start of the clay season. But Murray admitted that he has a 'new life now' and that he was enjoying a break from the sport one month on from leaving the Djokovic camp as he inaugurated the Centre Court on the first day of the new WTA 500 tournament in west Kensington. 'I've obviously missed being out here, having not been involved in a grass court season for a while,' Murray said in front to the delighted audience after he took to the court through a ballgirl guard of honour. Instead of tennis courts, Murray's chosen turf is now that of the golf course, as he lamented reaching the final stage of his club championships and falling short at the last. 'Unfortunately, I was tied second going into the final day, but, yeah, didn't get it done,' Murray said. 'But I'll come back next year and try again. But yeah, playing good golf, and enjoying that, and spending as much time with the family and kids as they can.' The 38-year-old also revealed his special connection to the women's tournament, which marks the first time that a similar event has been played at Queen's since 1973. 'I think it's brilliant,' Murray said of the tournament. 'I actually just met the last winner (in 1973), Olga Morozova, who actually coached me when I was 12, 13, years old. 'I think it's a great chance for the women to showcase themselves out here, and you got some great players.' Murray's eponymous court will always remain his happiest hunting ground; Queen's was his most successful tournament, where he won six combined titles in singles and doubles. The 38-year-old admitted that his focus is now fully on golf as he spoke of his disappointment at missing out on his local club championships 'This tournament, was where I won my first match on the ATP Tour, it was my most successful event, and I always loved coming back here at the start of the British summer,' Murray continued, adding with his trademark deadpan delivery that he was very grateful to 'whoever it was that decided to name the stadium'. Murray ended the event with a hit-up with tournament director and former British No1 Laura Robson, and two juniors from Greenhouse Sports and The Queen's Club Foundation. But, Murray warned the crowd, his tennis is 'diabolical nowadays' - although the former British No1 was able to hold his own nicely in the brief rally.
Wales Online
3 days ago
- Business
- Wales Online
Exact time to get cheap food at Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's
Exact time to get cheap food at Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's There are also ways you can get free food and products if you have the right app A shopping basket filled with yellow sticker discount food A deals website has shared the secret insights from their millions of customers to gather a hit list of the best times to go to UK supermarkets for the best discounts. Hotukdeals has tens of millions of active users who share their best money-saving hacks and live discounts as they see them. Consumer deals expert Dan Evans said: "'This is what the hotukdeals community is about, it shares practical, community-sourced tips and tricks on when, and where, to find in-store discounts and also highlights useful apps, for finding free or discounted surplus food. 'It also promotes food waste reduction while helping people save money, making it both financially and ethically valuable for all.'' Best times to find discounted food at supermarkets Tesco Around 6–7pm - final reductions after 8pm Discounts get deeper throughout the day; yellow stickers added mid-to-late afternoon. Sainsbury's First reductions from 1pm; biggest discounts after 7–8pm. Final markdowns often up to 75% off before closing. Article continues below Morrisons Reductions start early afternoon (12–2pm); biggest cuts around 6–7pm Clearance shelves tend to appear near bakery and fresh produce. Asda Initial markdowns 9–11am; major discounts from 6–7pm, sometimes laterYellow stickers commonly appear in meat/deli/chilled sections. Aldi Reductions throughout the day, no set time; best chances early morning or just before closing "Red sticker" deals are more limited than larger chains. Lidl Final reductions usually first thing in the morning (especially Sundays) Waitrose Reductions start after 3pm, best value found around 6–7pm Waitrose tends to mark items down more conservatively, but final reductions can be steep. Co-op Late reductions often from 5–6pm Discounted items vary by store size and manager discretion. Hotukdeals has also listed a number of the apps that share information with users who may want to grab discounted or surplus food - saving money and reducing waste: Too Good To Go Best for: Cheap meals and surplus food bags from cafes, restaurants, and supermarkets. Get "Magic Bags" of unsold food from Greggs, Costa, Starbucks, Morrisons, and more. Collection is typically near closing time. Prices usually range from £2 to £5 for food worth up to £15. Available on iOS and Android. Website: Olio Best for: Free food and groceries shared locally. Peer-to-peer app where individuals and local retailers give away food for free. Partners with Tesco, Iceland, Pret, and others. Includes non-food items like toiletries or cleaning supplies. Items are often available on a first-come, first-served basis. Website: Shopmium Best for: Cashback on branded groceries. Offers up to 100% cashback on selected items. Purchase in-store, upload a receipt, and receive money back to your bank or PayPal. Covers snacks, drinks, cleaning products, and more. Website: GreenJinn Best for: Cashback on healthier, eco-conscious products. Focuses on organic, vegan, and sustainable brands. Weekly offers at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, and others. Upload receipts for cashback directly to your account. Website: CheckoutSmart Article continues below Best for: Cashback across multiple supermarkets. Covers Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Morrisons, and more. Take a photo of your receipt to claim cashback. Features regular "free after cashback" deals. Website:
BBC News
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Birmingham Tennis Open hosts men for first time in 150 years
For 150 years, professional grass court tennis in Birmingham has been the preserve of women now, as this year's Lexus Birmingham Open gets under way, male players are for the first time serving alongside their female contrast to accusations of sexism that overshadowed the scheduling of matches at the French Open, tournament directors in Birmingham say the move is a "powerful statement that celebrates male and female athletes equally".Held at the Edgbaston Priory Club, it is the first tournament played on grass this season in the build-up to this year's Wimbledon championships. While Leyla Organ, director of racquets at the priory, does not see it as a "downgrade", the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) event is for the first time since 2021 a "challenger" tournament. Moving from a WTA 250 in 2024 to a WTA 125, it means players will win fewer ranking points and prize money on offer is lower."'We don't view the tournament as a downgrade or relegation as it's a brand-new event, welcoming both men and women to the club for the first time in our 150-year history," said Ms Organ."The combined format offers a completely new atmosphere and environment for young fans and aspiring players to be inspired by the game in their city." With the mix of male and female players, it means there are now seven courts of action for fans to tournament will bring new players to the grass, as well as familiar locals like Dan Evans who will be playing on home turf. The newly revamped grass courts are attracting players to make their debut off hard courts and those who are climbing in the ranks from matches earlier in the matches for the tournament continue later before the competitive matches begin in earnest on Monday.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Britain's Jones one win from French Open debut
French Open 2025Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros, ParisCoverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app Britain's Francesca Jones is one win away from the French Open main draw but Dan Evans suffered defeat in the second round of qualifying in number 113 Jones battled back from a set down to defeat Japan's Mai Hontama 2-6 6-3 6-4 and reach the final qualifying 24-year-old will play Ukrainian Anastasiya Soboleva, ranked 230, on Friday, with the main draw getting under way on attempting to earn an eighth appearance at Roland Garros, lost to 311th-ranked Frenchman Clement Tabur 6-1 Boulter, Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal and Jodie Burrage are already in the women's draw, while Jack Draper, Jacob Fearnley and Cameron Norrie will contest the men's. Jones was visibly delighted after coming through her second qualifying match in a demanding two hours and 17 Hontama ran away with the opening set, the players exchanged six consecutive breaks of serve at the start of the second before Jones took charge.A run of four consecutive games ensured she would take the match the distance, but the tension only increased as the decider began with another five breaks of as in the second set, Jones was first to dig in on serve, providing a springboard to victory as she eventually seized her third match Briton roared with delight before turning to embrace her supporters in the through to the final round of qualifying in the men's event is former US Open champion Marin Cilic. The 36-year-old Croat, a French Open semi-finalist in 2022, beat Spain's Pol Martin Tiffon 6-4 6-3 to set up a meeting with South African Lloyd Harris.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Evans not ready for goodbye yet
In the latest edition of Second Serve, our weekly snapshot of the tours, BBC tennis reporter examines former British number one Dan Evans's future. In a season which became known as the year of retirements on the ATP Tour, former British number one Dan Evans had his own thoughts about how long he had left playing. Andy Murray deciding it was the right time to stop dominated the talk in British tennis last year, while his fellow Grand Slam champions Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem also brought the curtain down on their careers in 2024. At Wimbledon in June, Evans spoke about the awareness he had of coming towards the end of his career and the "stark reality" of not being able to compete at the same level he once did. So it is telling Evans - who turns 35 in less than a fortnight - is still ploughing on, albeit largely on the ATP Challenger Tour which sits below the main tour. Less than two years ago, he was ranked a career-high 21st in the world, but is now 190th after briefly dropping outside of the top 200 earlier this year. "I'm enjoying playing tennis - I'm not enjoying where my ranking is, of course," Evans told the BBC 5 Live Tennis programme last week. "I'm still trying to be a tennis player, although some people are letting it known they don't think I am." Evans, competing in a Challenger event in Bordeaux this week before focusing on French Open qualifying, certainly still is a tennis player. Dropping down a level demonstrates his clear love for the sport and, perhaps, a determination to spend as much time on court as possible having being banned for a year in 2017 after testing positive for cocaine. Making the decision to stop playing professional tennis is, for many, the hardest they will make. There is no 'perfect' way to say goodbye. Former world number one Murray, who retired after playing Olympic doubles with Evans in Paris, knew it was the right time. It did not stop floods of tears - from the 37-year-old Scot, Evans and plenty more watching on - as the curtain came down at Roland Garros. Thiem, who won the 2020 US Open title, retired several weeks later at his home ATP event in Vienna. After seeing his career derailed by a debilitating wrist injury, the 31-year-old Austrian's intuition told him it was not worth carrying on any more. "Tennis had been my whole life since a very young age so I was fighting against this inner feeling and hoping it goes away again," he told BBC Sport. "But instead of going away or getting weaker, it got stronger and got way more into my head. "Once I made the decision there was a mix of negative and positive emotions - sadness, fear but also a little bit of happiness and looking forward to the time after." Evans knows the time is coming. But, for now, his inner feeling is to keep plugging away with the belief he can still compete. "I'm still trying. I think I will get back inside the top 100 and that's my goal," he added. "It will be a pretty good story to have dropped down to such a bad ranking and get back up." Jannik Sinner is back. The world number one, banned for three months after failing two doping tests, received a hero's welcome as he returned with a win at the Italian Open. Iga Swiatek's troubles continued as the four-time French Open champion suffered another early clay-court exit in Rome. Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk praised Daria Kasatkina's "courage" in switching nationalities from Russia to Australia. The next rankings will not be released until next Monday, following the conclusion of the combined WTA-ATP event in Rome. However, we already know Swiatek - whose Rome title defence ended in the third round - will drop outside the top three for the first time since March 2022. The live projections also show Jack Draper has a chance of moving to a new career-high of fourth in the world. With Taylor Fritz losing in the second round, the British men's number one will move above the American if he continues to win in Rome. With the Italian Open played over a fortnight, the action at the Foro Italico takes centre stage again this week. However, there are several tournaments on the ATP Challenger and WTA 125 tours - the tiers below the main tours - worth keeping an eye on as players look for more clay-court time going into the French Open. Britain's Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal are competing in the Paris 125, where the field is led by world number 17 Amanda Anisimova. The pick of several ATP Challengers is the Bordeaux tournament. A host of top-50 players - including huge-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard - are joined in the draw by three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, who opens against British number four Billy Harris. Draper and Emma Raducanu continue to fly the British flag in the Rome singles, with both players reaching the last 16. Jacob Fearnley, Cameron Norrie and Kartal were knocked out in the second round, while Boulter fell in round one after drawing 2021 French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. In wheelchair tennis, there was success for Great Britain at the World Team Cup - the sport's flagship event which is the equivalent of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. Britain's junior team claimed their second World Team Cup title in three years after beating the United States - the defending champions - in Turkey. The nation also claimed two bronze medals after the men's team and quad team won their medal play-off ties. With so many professional tennis tournaments taking place across the world, and across so many levels, it can be hard to keep up with everything from one week to the next. As part of BBC Sport's commitment to offer more for tennis fans, Second Serve will be your weekly round-up of the biggest stories in the sport. As well as the main talking point, you can see which ATP and WTA players are making significant progress - or struggling for form, how the British contingent are doing and what the next stops on the calendars are. You can also sign up to get the latest tennis news from BBC Sport delivered straight to your mobile phone. Live scores, results and order of play Get tennis news sent straight to your phone
