Kyrgios avoids the dark side
Watson questions Evans’ Olympic snub
NICK KYRGIOS avoided going to a “very dark place” as he reached the third round of his home Grand Slam – and stayed on collision course with Rafa Nadal.
But the Aussie admitted he had acted like “a bit of a d***head” by ranting towards his players’ box. Kyrgios, left, was full of fun as he took the first two sets against Frenchman Gilles Simon. The world No 26 performed a
HEATHER WATSON has told Dan Evans he will miss the experience of a lifetime by snubbing the Olympics this summer.
Watson and Harriet Dart were the last British singles players to exit the Australian Open yesterday – the second year in a row none has reached the third round.
British No1 Evans also lost his second match and then announced he is set to play in America this summer, where ranking points and money are on offer, instead of going for gold in Tokyo.
Watson, who played in the 2012 and 2016 Games, said: “Personally, my No1 goal for this year is to go to the Olympics.
“If he had gone to London 2012 then I think he would go. That was one of the best experiences of my life.
“It’s an incredible environment being around all these professional athletes.
“It’s the No1 stage to represent your country, it’s the ultimate. I love competing for my country at every opportunity.”
Swedish legend Mats Wilander, a seven-time Grand
Slam singles winner, said:
“Dan’s decision is weird, very strange. That tells me, do we have to be looking at what the Olympics mean in tennis?
“If it doesn’t mean more to a normal human being like Dan Evans, who could change his life and career by winning not a gold but a bronze medal for Great Britain, I would say something is wrong with the Olympics in tennis.
“It means a whole lot to the best players. But to the other players, to not think that winning a bronze is worth more than being top 20, that seems like they need cheeky Nadal impression – brushing his hair and re-arranging his shorts – after he was hit with a time violation before a serve.
Kyrgios said: “It’s my serve technique, it’s like Rafa going like this.” Simon later did the same.
But from two sets and a break up, the Aussie shouted and swore at his own team as his composure went. He recovered to win 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. Kyrgios said: “I lost my way a bit. I could have gone to a very dark place in the fourth set.” to reorganise the competition. Dan Evans is an example of somebody that puts the clock back a little bit and tells everybody, ‘Listen, tennis is not a freak sport where you need to have rich parents, who sit in your players’ box for every single week of the whole year’. “He’s a normal human being who struggles through certain things in life. Is he going to win Majors with that attitude? No.
“Will he make tennis more accessible in people’s minds in their normal homes? Yes.”
Watson lost the final eight games as she went down 6-3, 6-0 to No16 seed Elise Mertens in only 56 minutes.
The British No2 said: “I felt my level wasn’t there today. You don’t feel amazing every day.” British No3 Dart saved three match points before going down 6-2, 6-4 to Wimbledon champion Simona Halep.
The Londoner, who played in the evening session, earned the dubious honour of being the last Briton standing. Dart said: “I want all the Brits to do really well, and hopefully in the years to come we can all be progressing in the second week and contending for the titles.”
As the defending sprint-canoe Olympic champ, I’m in a good place right now: I feel healthy and I’m injuryfree. And I’ve been selected as an athlete for Tokyo 2020!
After I won a gold medal at Rio 2016, I still had a few things on the list I wanted to tick off. In 2017 I won the World Championship, and I became a father that year too. Then in 2018 I started thinking about what I wanted to do next, and how I could do it while supporting a family.
It was a really valuable time of reflection for me. I came to realise what my own family had given up to help me achieve my dreams, and how much other people have had a hand in my success. And that includes The National Lottery’s players. It’s their contribution that allows me to continue focusing on canoeing. The Tokyo Games are going to be great. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to design the artwork on my boat and paddles. I studied industrial design and technology at Loughborough University, so I’m really keen on that side of things. Can I beat what I did in 2016? I’m certainly going to try! I set the world’s fastest time in 2017, so I’d like to think I can. That’s why I always say my biggest rival is myself.