SHAPOVALOV: AUSSIE SMOG PUTTING LIFE AT RISK
Dan Evans v Mackenzie McDonald (USA). Kyle Edmund v Dusan Lajovic (Serbia). Jo Konta v Ons Jabeur (Tunisia).
Heather Watson v Kristyna Pliskova (Czech).
Katie Boulter v Elina Svitolina (Ukraine). Harriet Dart v Misaki Doi (Japan). Cameron Norrie v Pierre-Hugues Herbert (France).
DAN EVANS has given up veganism for January and the Australian Open - but he insisted he is not fat.
Great Britain captain Tim Henman claimed the British No.1 could “miss a few meals” at the recent ATP Cup.
And the world No.33 revealed he was then the big butt of weight-watcher jokes from his thinner team-mates.
But Evans said: “I’ve been called worse than fat. Listen, I can’t help how I look. I think I’m in pretty good shape – it’s just how I am aesthetically. I don’t have a six-pack, I know that. It’s difficult to be a rake like him. Not a muscle on him. I think personally I’m in decent shape. Tim finds it pretty hard to give a compliment, I tell you that.
“I eat but I have never had any complaints from the people I work with that I eat badly. I don’t mind a fizzy drink – that is probably not ideal. And obviously I don’t mind alcohol from time to time. But that isn’t the reason these comments have come about. He obviously thinks I could lose a few kgs and that is up to him. It basically topped the week off that I ended up getting abused in the end. It is all good fun.”
The 29-year-old, who is 78
CANADIAN star Denis Shapovalov says he will not risk his life playing in polluted air at the Australian Open.
Smoke from the bushfires ravaging the country caused qualifying to be suspended in Melbourne last week.
And the world No.13 warned he wouldn’t play if the smog returns for his first-round match on Monday.
“I’m 20-years-old, it’s a grand slam, it’s a big kg (12 st 3lbs), experimented with veganism after the US Open but he is not doing Veganuary “I tried it for a little while,” Evans said. “I just found it a bit difficult in the end. What did I miss? Nothing. I just ended up eating meat. I just had enough.
“And then I got my skin folds done in pre-season and I wasn’t what I was when I was eating meat. So I just decided to go back and try it. I’m not saying I won’t go the other way again but I have started alright at the start of the year.” Evans beat top 20 players David Goffin and Alex opportunity but I’m 20-years-old,” he said.
“I don’t want to risk my life, risk my health, being out there playing in this condition when I can for the next 10-15 years.”
Roger Federer claimed the rules about air quality are confusing but insisted he could not go out on court and stop qualifying in the smog.
Canadian world No.103 Brayden Schnur branded Federer and world No.1 Rafa Nadal selfish for not speaking de Minaur in the ATP Cup and then reached the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International. He has been seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time, drawing world No.132 Mackenzie McDonald in the opening round tomorrow.
Former Australian Open semi-finalist Kyle Edmund showed a welcome return to form by reaching the quarter-finals of the Auckland Classic after suffering from knee problems last year. The British No.3 faces No.24 seed Dusan Lajovic in the first round. up to defend the lower-ranked players when the public were advised to stay indoors.
But six-time champion Federer said: “Can I go on court and say: ‘Everybody stop play?’. I can try. I don’t think that’s going to do much.
“I think communication is key from the tournament because you do hear it’s not safe to be outside, keep your pets inside, close your windows. You have court calls, then you look at the haze and everything. It doesn’t look good.
“I was in the office when it was bad on Tuesday and the next day on Wednesday when it was still bad to ask: ‘What’s the situation?’.
“I said: ‘I think we’re all confused. Is it super unsafe or is it totally safe to play?’.
“I told them: ‘We just need to do more because I feel like I hadn’t enough information’.
“But I don’t think I can do more than what I did.”