Dan Evans hits out at British tennis and pledges to marketing campaign earlier than Wimbledon
Dan Evans has pledged to maintain campaigning to get extra working-class folks taking part in professional tennis as he acknowledged: “I’m not interested how a doctor’s son does in the sport. I couldn’t care less.” The British No.2, the son of a nurse and an electrician, went to the identical Solihull state secondary faculty as soccer stars Jack Grealish and Karen Carney earlier than selecting tennis.
Now 33, the world No.30 has gained greater than $7million, an ATP title and the Davis Cup. But Evans has by no means forgotten the place he has come from or find out how to speak straight.
At the French Open he claimed that Emma Raducanu’s success had “papered over the cracks” in “elitist” English tennis as he stated: “I don’t think there’s a chance for people from working-class backgrounds to get into the sport if their parents don’t have money.”
Speaking this week within the backyard of his rented dwelling in Wimbledon Village, Dubai-based Evans doubled-down on his phrases earlier than the poshest Grand Slam of all of them.
And he paid heed to the story of Paul Jubb, who was raised on a Hull council property by grandmother Val, and took eventual finalist, Nick Kyrgios, to 5 units at Wimbledon final yr, solely to fall again to world No.449 now.
“I speak out because I care about the sport,” he insisted. “People always think it’s against the governing body (the LTA) but it’s not that. I’m not interested in how a doctor’s son does in the sport, I’m really not. I couldn’t care less. I’m interested in somebody who’s struggled a bit.
“Paul Jubb’s story is an amazing story but it’d be amazing for some for him to get inside the top 100. I’m not saying people who have it harder feel a better level of relief or satisfaction when they get inside 100 or they do something good, but it just strikes a chord with me how good that is.
“And I know what it feels like. I never, ever wanted as a child. But it feels good to be comfortable. It’s an amazing feeling. And it’s an amazing thing to get success in such a big sport in the world where you probably shouldn’t be doing that if you grew up at a little tennis club.
“It’s a pretty cool thing. And that’s why I look out for the other people from that sort of background. It’s only right. People get selfish when they get good. And they don’t give a s**t about anybody else.
“It’s always good to give back. I don’t think it’s fair if I take all the plaudits and then don’t look out for the rest. I’ve done that pretty well. Whenever anybody’s asked me for advice, I’ve given them the time of day and that’s important.”
Evans desires extra gamers to play extra matches to get into the highest 100 and past.
“What the country needs is more people competing as a living,” he stated. “The riches aren’t at 70 in the world. They’re not.”
His present poor kind shouldn’t be the place Evans desires to be. He has gained one match in 5 occasions and admitted he wasn’t trying ahead to Wimbledon after his “embarrassing” Queen’s Club defeat.
“I would say I am apprehensive more than anything,” stated Evans, who’s seeded No.28 at SW19 this yr. “But in the real world, it’s not even a subject how bad Dan Evans is playing.”
But tennis shouldn’t be the true world. It is stuffed with “amazing people” and “a few prima donnas”.
Evans laughed: “It’s cool to have a front row seat to everything which happens on the tour. And that’s why I don’t need to watch Netflix. I see it all!”