EVANS HAS NO NEED FOR A SIX-PACK DOWN UNDER

MORE sensitive souls than

Dan Evans may have taken umbrage at Tim Henman’s suggestion earlier this month that, for all his improvements of the past year, he needs to cut down on his calorie intake.

Asked yesterday if he was offended at the suggestion by his recent captain at the ATP Cup that he should eat a few less meals, the British No 1 responded cheerfully enough.

‘No, I have been called worse than fat,’ said the 29-year-old Midlander. ‘Listen, obviously I can’t help how I look. Geez, I think I am in good shape and it is just aesthetically, I guess that is how I am. I don’t have a six-pack, I know that.’

What is indisputable is that Evans (right) has been winning enough matches that he finds himself seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time at the Australian Open, where on Monday he will face American MacKenzie McDonald.

It was another kind of McDonald’s that Henman was referring to and, it should be said, plenty of compliments about the way that the country’s leading man has turned his career around.

‘It’s difficult to be a rake like him, not a muscle on him,’ said Evans of Henman. ‘I think personally I’m in decent shape. Tim finds it pretty hard to give a compliment, I tell you that. I knew this was coming today. I actually thanked Tim to say at least I had a heads up what was coming.’

Kyle Edmund, who made the semi-finals here two years ago, is another Brit playing on the opening day, taking on No 24 seed Dusan Lajovic.

In total there will be seven GB singles players in action over the first two days; Harriet Dart, Jo Konta, Heather Watson, Katie Boulter, Evans, Edmund and Cam Norrie.