Evans comes out swinging after defeat
DAN SLAMS ENGLISH ‘ELITISM’
ANGRY Dan Evans claimed he slams “elitist” British tennis to help fellow “working-class people” – after his fiery defeat left only two British players in the singles at the French Open.
“I don’t think there’s a chance for people from working-class backgrounds to get into the sport and get a chance if their parents don’t have money,” said the British No.2
LTA chiefs Leon Smith and Michael Bourne were watching on the opening day yesterday as the No.20 seed went down 6-4 6-4 6-4 to Australian wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis, right. Evans then directed his fire on class inequalities in tennis at home.
The 33-year-old said: “I voice my opinions because I want younger children, working-class kids to get the support they deserve.
“In any other sport, when people voice their opinions about a system, it goes forward, but in tennis, because we’re so elitist in England, it doesn’t get put forward. I’m doing it for working-class people like I was.
“I just don’t think there’s a chance for people from workingclass backgrounds to get into the sport and get a chance if their parents don’t have money.
“I’m just asking for things to be a bit different, more people to have a chance to get funded. It’s not personal. If you’re taking it personally, then maybe you’re guilty of what I’m saying.” Evans said before the tournament that Emma Raducanu’s US Open success in 2021 had “papered over the cracks” in the sport.
And he said there should be “soul-searching” and changes to the development system after 10 British players failed to get through qualifying. There are no British women singles players in the top 100 – and none here with Raducanu injured.
But after losing in the first round here for the fifth time, Evans admitted: “I’ve got my own battles to deal with right now on the court. It’s shocking how I played. It’s not good enough.”
Evans led 4-2, 30-0 in the second set before he was foot-faulted and double-faulted for crossing the centre line with his back foot. He lost the next four points, ranted at umpire Jaume Campistol and got a code violation for slamming his water bottle into the clay.
“I have never had a foot fault like that before,” said Evans. “It obviously threw me quite a bit. I sort of lost all trust in where my feet were.
“Whoever it is up in the chair, they find a way of getting involved. But that’s not anywhere near the reason why I lost. I was poor from start to finish and he was decent.”
British No.1 Cam Norrie will face Benoit Paire today while Jack Draper plays Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry.