DON’T LAUD OUR LOSSES
Victorious Evans raps GB mindset
DAN EVANS says the British should be shouting sporting triumphs from the rooftops, not wasting time celebrating glorious failures.
Evans advanced to the second round at Wimbledon for the third time by beating Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 7-6 6-2 7-5 – and then laid into the nation’s sporting mentality.
The British No.1, after a good year that has seen him shoot up to 26th in the world rankings, was fired up on a windy Court Two, punching the air at the end of a tough contest.
“We celebrate the losses more than we do the wins,” he said. “As Brits, we could be a bit more positive.
“We enjoy putting up a valiant effort. That is the British mentality.
“I don’t think we should celebrate losses. Monday was a great experience for Jack Draper – playing Novak Djokovic – but he doesn’t want to lose that match.
“I’m not saying we don’t give British players enough credit. I just think we don’t mind losing.
“British players should be given a bigger platform to spread the word for the younger guys and girls. That’s where we’re at, at the minute.” Evans won the first set on a tie-break against the 39-year-old Lopez, a three-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist incredibly playing in his 77th consecutive Grand Slam.
He then broke early in the second set and did well to resist the Spaniard’s fightback to hold on for a valuable win.The Aston Villa fan has this year won the Murray River Open in Melbourne, reached the semifinals in Monte Carlo, and the quarter-finals at Nottingham and Queen’s.
He said: “Being British No.1 is great but my goal is to progress in these tournaments, like Wimbledon, the US Open.
“Everybody knows the Grand Slams are important but I don’t put pressure on myself to do well – I would just like to do well.”
It was not such a good day for Harriet Dart, who lost 6-1 6-3 to 13th seed Elise Mertens of Belgium.
And another British men’s hope bit the dust, as 22-year-old wild card Jay Clarke, from Derby, went down 6-3 3-6 7-6 6-2 to Belarussian Egor Gerasimov.