Dan Evans questions fellow Brits' commitment amid lack of tournament participation
British tennis player Dan Evans has questioned his compatriots' commitment to the sport in light of their relatively low participation in recent tournaments.
Evans himself competed at the 2023 Madrid Open this week. He was up against Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the second round on Saturday (April 29) at the Caja Magica.
Evans' run was cut short, however, as he was knocked out in straight sets by the Spaniard. The British No. 2 fell 6-3, 6-2 to Zapata Miralles, who will face Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin in the next round.
Following his elimination, Evans spoke with the Daily Mail about British players' participation in tour events. Evans and Cameron Norrie were the only Brits to compete in the main draw of the Madrid Open. Another Brit, Jodie Burrage, made it to the second round of qualifiers.
Evans commented on Burrage's elimination from the qualifiers, saying it was "pretty bad." He also stated that his compatriots must compete in more tournaments, despite the fact that conditions on the tour can be "hard" at times.
"You can win and lose matches in the main draw," Dan Evans said. "If people are in the main draw that’s great, but I mean the qualies was pretty bad."
"That's the issue I think," he added. "It’s pretty well bare in that ranking spot and there are people choosing not to play. I think (our) players need to compete more week in week out. They need to get out on the road and just get after it. It's not there's great science behind it. It can be hard on the tour but you need to be at it."
The 32-year-old then discussed how female British tennis players did not participate in any tournaments after competing in the Billie Jean King Cup, implying that their lack of participation was due to having "too much money."
"We're picking and choosing what tournaments we play, and we're ranked 200 in the world - I'm not going to bag the girls here but no one played after (the Billie Jean King Cup)," Dan Evans said.
"There’s some cultural thing about resting and all that," he added. "It's not new. Maybe they've got too much money or something."
"He's learned his trade by playing his matches, that's how he's got good" - Dan Evans on Cameron Norrie
Dan Evans also praised compatriot Cameron Norrie, who has advanced to the third round of the Madrid Open. Evans stated that the British No. 1 has improved over time by actively participating in matches and remaining competitive.
"I think Cam gets a bit under underestimated with his skill and stuff, a lot of people say he's worked hard and he stays calm and everything," he said.
"But the main reason (he’s successful) is that he's learned his trade by playing his matches and being in competitive situations. And that's how he's got good," he added.
Dan Evans' remarks come after British No. 1 Emma Raducanu dropped out of the top 100 following her withdrawal from the Madrid Open. Raducanu's massive drop in ranking means that Britain will not have a female in the world's top 100 for the first time in 15 years.