Former Wimbledon champion reveals she's been cycling to Queen's on LIME BIKE after her car was stolen
HEATHER WATSON has been using an electric Lime bike to travel to a new tennis event in south-west London – after being driven mad by a stolen car saga.
A first WTA tournament at Queen's Club in Baron's Court since 1973 works well for Watson because it is only a 10-minute cycle ride from her flat.
4
Heather Watson revealed she had her car nicked
Credit: Getty
4
She won the mixed doubles at Wimbledon back in 2016
Credit: Simon Jones - The Sun
4
She has been riding a Lime Bike to Queen's this year
Credit: PA
4
The tournament is a ten-minute cycle from her home
Credit: Getty
While some of her rivals will jump in official cars to and from the venue, the British No.7 prefers two wheels instead, a much greener mode of transportation.
Her preference are the green-and-white Lime bikes, which can reach a top speed of 15mph and are easily accessible for anyone living in the capital.
Watson – who won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title with Finn Henri Kontinen in 2016 – had her car stolen in the summer of 2023.
The Guernsey-born ace's Range Rover was nicked from an underground car park at her West London home on the night she belatedly celebrated her 31st birthday with friends.
READ MORE ON TENNIS
EMMA WORRY Raducanu gets treatment for back injury in worrying scenes days before Wimbledon
It happened in the week before the grass-court season started and at the time, she said she was pulling her hair out dealing with a time-consuming insurance company.
A tracking company told her the vehicle was gone and though it was eventually found by police – and taken to a Charlton car pound – her problems only started when it came to the 'ball-ache' of dealing with the insurance detail.
On Thursday afternoon, qualifier Watson was on her bike out of the premises as she lost 6-4 6-2 to former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
After that defeat, she revealed to the media why she was shunning cars, saying: '(Bikes) are my means of transport.
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS
'Since my car was stolen, and it's just been the bane of my life, I'm in the process of selling it.
'Still such a pain. Don't get a car. That's my advice. I'm a Lime biker through and through.
'It'll be the first time seeing him' - Olympic star Heather Watson reveals plans to watch Scottish footie hero boyfriend
'Rain or shine, I'm on my bike, that's how I get to the NTC (National Tennis Centre) every day.
'That's how I got home yesterday from the site because it takes ten minutes.
'I love cycling, and I feel like it's kind of a type of meditation for me, as well.
'I just really enjoy being out in the fresh air cycling. It's a great warmup, about 20 minutes from where I live to the NTC, so it's perfect for me.
'I won't be getting another car. I'm a cyclist. They used to drive me crazy, but now I'm one of them, and I have a different perspective.
'How was my car stolen? Oh, I won't bore you, but a couple years ago it got stolen.
'And it's just been breaking down ever since. Insurance? Biggest scam ever. They just try and rinse you.
'Yeah, disaster. I get discriminated against because I'm an athlete. So your prices are already….forget the cars. Not forever, but for now.'
Watson is not the only sports star to be benefiting from Lime Bikes recently.
The England Test team took up the mode of transport ahead of the match against the West Indies.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
5 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Enzo Fernandez will be even better next season
The Argentina midfielder, signed from the Portuguese giants for a then British record £106.8million two years ago, took time to find his feet at Stamford Bridge. But he excelled in the second half of the 2024-25 season, finishing the campaign with eight goals, and has continued to shine at the Club World Cup. The 24-year-old scored in the opening win over Los Angeles FC and created two goals in as many minutes as the Blues beat Esperance Tunis 3-0 in their final group game on Tuesday. Their reward is a last-16 clash with Benfica in Charlotte on Saturday. Maresca told reporters at his pre-match press conference: 'I'm very pleased with Enzo, especially because, first of all, he's a nice boy. He's polite, he's a good boy. 'Then he's worked very well in all aspects inside the pitch, outside the pitch. Our struggle at the beginning was (for him) to understand the way we want to play. 'But he is doing fantastic in terms of numbers, goal assists. This is what we want from our attacking players. 'I've said many times that I prefer to have the attacking players score 10-12 goal each, rather than just a striker with 40 goals. 'So his contribution this season has been top and I am sure next season will be even better.' Despite that, Fernandez could face competition for his place after Maresca suggested he sees Brazilian Andrey Santos more as an attacking player than a defensive one. The highly-rated 21-year-old has rejoined the club this summer after a successful loan spell at Strasbourg and made his debut as a second-half substitute against Esperance. Maresca said: 'His season has been very good but I think you need time to adapt. 'In terms of position, I see Andrey in this moment in more like Enzo's position than Romeo's (Lavia) position. 'The Premier League demands (players) to be physically strong. In this moment, I see Andrey more of an attacking player than defensive in the field.' Maresca added that he hopes 19-year-old defender Josh Acheampong will stay with the club despite being linked with Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund. He said: 'My idea or my plan with Josh is quite clear. I think he potentially can be a top defender for this club. I feel the best plan for Josh is to be with us.' Maresca would also like England international Trevoh Chalobah to stay, but offered no guarantees. He said: 'All the players that are here with us, I don't want to lose them but when the transfer window is open, unfortunately, anything can happen – not only for Trevoh, for (all) the 25 players of the squad.' Maresca expects a tight contest against Benfica. He said: 'It's going to be a balanced game, a tough game. In this kind of game the small details are very important.'
Glasgow Times
20 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Enzo Fernandez will be even better next season
The Argentina midfielder, signed from the Portuguese giants for a then British record £106.8million two years ago, took time to find his feet at Stamford Bridge. But he excelled in the second half of the 2024-25 season, finishing the campaign with eight goals, and has continued to shine at the Club World Cup. Chelsea face Benfica on Saturday (AP Photo/Chris Szagola) The 24-year-old scored in the opening win over Los Angeles FC and created two goals in as many minutes as the Blues beat Esperance Tunis 3-0 in their final group game on Tuesday. Their reward is a last-16 clash with Benfica in Charlotte on Saturday. Maresca told reporters at his pre-match press conference: 'I'm very pleased with Enzo, especially because, first of all, he's a nice boy. He's polite, he's a good boy. 'Then he's worked very well in all aspects inside the pitch, outside the pitch. Our struggle at the beginning was (for him) to understand the way we want to play. 'But he is doing fantastic in terms of numbers, goal assists. This is what we want from our attacking players. 'I've said many times that I prefer to have the attacking players score 10-12 goal each, rather than just a striker with 40 goals. 'So his contribution this season has been top and I am sure next season will be even better.' Enzo Maresca has stressed the need to be patient with Andrey Santos (Rafal Oleksiewicz/PA) Despite that, Fernandez could face competition for his place after Maresca suggested he sees Brazilian Andrey Santos more as an attacking player than a defensive one. The highly-rated 21-year-old has rejoined the club this summer after a successful loan spell at Strasbourg and made his debut as a second-half substitute against Esperance. Maresca said: 'His season has been very good but I think you need time to adapt. 'In terms of position, I see Andrey in this moment in more like Enzo's position than Romeo's (Lavia) position. 'The Premier League demands (players) to be physically strong. In this moment, I see Andrey more of an attacking player than defensive in the field.' Maresca added that he hopes 19-year-old defender Josh Acheampong will stay with the club despite being linked with Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund. He said: 'My idea or my plan with Josh is quite clear. I think he potentially can be a top defender for this club. I feel the best plan for Josh is to be with us.' Trevoh Chalobah's future has been the subject of speculation (John Walton/PA) Maresca would also like England international Trevoh Chalobah to stay, but offered no guarantees. He said: 'All the players that are here with us, I don't want to lose them but when the transfer window is open, unfortunately, anything can happen – not only for Trevoh, for (all) the 25 players of the squad.' Maresca expects a tight contest against Benfica. He said: 'It's going to be a balanced game, a tough game. In this kind of game the small details are very important.'
Scottish Sun
25 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Jake Paul leaks brutal message Anthony Joshua sent him after being goaded over KO… and calls for UK stadium fight
NO JOSHING Jake Paul leaks brutal message Anthony Joshua sent him after being goaded over KO… and calls for UK stadium fight ANTHONY JOSHUA warned Jake Paul to be careful for what he wishes for after sending him one last menacing message. The two have been exchanging back and forth messages in private after Paul called out the ex-heavyweight world champion earlier in the year. Advertisement 4 Jake Paul wants to fight Anthony Joshua in the UK Credit: Getty 4 Joshua and Jake Paul have exchanged words over DM Credit: Getty The YouTuber-turned-boxer even goaded AJ over his previous knockout losses - but Joshua warned what goes around comes around. Paul has not DM'd Joshua since his KO tease and told SunSport: "That was the last one. "He said, 'I can't wait to fight. you're gonna be fighting for your life and you'll know the feeling that I've gone through.' Or something like that." Paul started his boxing journey with an exhibition bout in Manchester against Deji - the brother to his arch YouTube rival KSI. Advertisement READ MORE IN boxing HEAT IS ON Inside Jake Paul's camp on £30m ranch where he almost FIRED his coaches The American has now been a professional five years and has a record of 11 wins and just one loss - coming against Tommy Fury in 2023. And Paul wants to return to the UK to fight AJ - dreaming of a stadium full of his most volatile detractors. He said: "My first fight was in front of an English crowd and it's rowdy. "I love walking into the lions' den and so me vs Anthony Joshua, 100,000 people chanting "f*** Jake Paul" would be pretty fun for me." Advertisement CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Joshua, 35, is yet to return since being knocked out by Daniel Dubois, 27, in September and has since had elbow surgery. Meanwhile, Paul's last fight was as controversial as it was commercially successful. He beat Mike Tyson over eight rounds when the heavyweight great made a comeback aged 58 with over 100 MILLION watching on Netflix. Advertisement Now Paul, 28, returns TONIGHT against former middleweight champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, 39, back down at cruiserweight. And he says a ranking with the WBC could await him with victory - putting him in line to challenge for Badou Jack's green and gold belt. Paul said: "I think it's back to the drawing board after this, especially depending on what the WBC and WBA rank me after I win. "If they rank me in the position where I can go for a world championship, then we're gonna try and get that done." Advertisement 4 Jake Paul returns against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr Credit: Getty 4 Badou Jack could defend his WBC title against Jake Paul Credit: Getty
