Dan Evans admits he will be ‘so lucky’ to play a professional tournament in his home city of Birmingham for the first time when he steps onto the courts at the Edgbaston Priory Club in a new-look event.
Birmingham has hosted a women’s grass court tournament that has been won by some of the biggest names in the sport’s history since its inaugural year in 1982, with a long list of former Grand Slam champions lifting the Maud Watson Trophy.
Now the LTA’s exciting new summer grass court calendar sees a men’s ATP Challenger tournament added to the schedule alongside a women’s tournament at the Edgbaston Priory Club for the first time, with Evans a star attraction for the fans to follow when the Lexus Birmingham Open gets underway this weekend.
Evans, 34, has practiced on the immaculate Edgbaston Priory Club grass courts over the course of a career that has seen him win two ATP Tour titles and reach a career-high ranking of No.21, but the chance to play in front of his home fans in Birmingham in a competitive tournament is setting his pulse racing.
“It’s going to be nice to play at home,” said Evans, whose only previous appearance in Birmingham came in a Davis Cup tie for Great Britain against Japan alongside Andy Murray in 2016.
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“Edgbaston Priory Club has always had some of the best grass courts in the country, so it’s going to be great preparation for the rest of the grass court season.
“I practice at Edgbaston Priory Club when I am at home. It’s a really good club and from my perspective, I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to play a tournament at an established club that has a great track record for staging such a historic women’s event.”
Evans started his tennis story at West Warwicks Tennis Club in Solihull and admits he didn’t expect his first steps onto court would lead to a career that has seen him perform on the game’s biggest states, including playing doubles alongside two-time former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray in the final tournament of his career at last summer’s Olympic Games.
“I played every sport when I was growing up and remember having my first lessons at the West Warwicks Tennis Club,” continues Evans. “I must have been pretty decent because the coach encouraged me to carry on playing the sport.
“I played county tennis for Warwickshire. We had a pretty good team at the time, but I was not thinking back then that I could have a career as a tennis player. I played because I enjoyed the sport and I didn’t believe I could ever have a career as a professional until I was much older.
“I was always competitive and wanted to win matches, but I didn’t know if I was any good and when I started out in the juniors, I wasn’t one of the best players.
“It was not until I was 16 or 17 that I started to realise I could take it further and going to the LTA’s Academy in Loughborough was important for me. Leighton Alfred and Mark Taylor were the coaches looking after me and at that point, tennis started to take on a different path for me.”
Now Evans is preparing to test his skills on grass courts once again, after previous successes winning the titles in LTA tournaments at Surbiton and Nottingham.
“It’s always good to play on grass,” he added. “It’s such a different surface from what we are used to for most of the year, but it’s nice to play on.
“Historically, British players tend to go out of the French Open a little earlier than we might like, so that gives us a chance to get some time on grass courts ahead of some other players.
“The conditions have changed a little in my time playing on grass. The balls and the court have got a little slower, but it’s always a good surface to play on and it’s great to play in front of the British fans.
“I have enjoyed some of the best moments of my career on grass and I’ve won titles in Nottingham and Surbiton in the past, so I know I can deliver on that stage.”
The Lexus Birmingham Open kicks off on May 31 and tickets are available here.
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