Home crowd advantage! Emma Raducanu leads biggest contingent of British players at Wimbledon in over 40 years... as 23 hopefuls prepare to do battle with foreign rivals - and the sweltering sun
Emma Raducanu today leads the biggest contingent of British tennis stars to storm Wimbledon in over 40 years – on the hottest ever opening day of the championships.
The UK No 1 is spearheading the nation's hopes alongside Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie, while UK men's top seed Jack Draper kicks off his campaign tomorrow.
It is a bumper year for Britons with an army of 23 players taking over SW19 – the most to get through since 1984.
But they will have to contend with sweltering heat as the mercury soars to 35C (95F) today, smashing the previous opening day record of 29C (84F).
Ms Raducanu, 22, said she is 'ready to embrace' the sizzling temperature as she faces highly rated Mimi Xu, 17, in an all-British first-round clash on No 1 Court.
'I'm prepared. I'm going to stay hydrated,' added Ms Raducanu, who is the world No 40. Organisers are hoping the many British hopefuls and scorching weather will see tennis fever sweep the nation after years of washouts and Covid. And punters were already braving the Queue yesterday.
Billy Harris, 30, who is among those kicking things off, said there was a 'good atmosphere' in the locker room.
'Brits have been doing well recently, and it's great to see everyone pushing each other,' he added. But there has been controversy over the decision to drop line judges at the world's oldest tennis tournament. All line calls will instead be made by Hawk-Eye.
Axed officials say they have been poorly treated, with particular upset over how veteran Charles Falconer, 77, was cruelly denied a 50th year without any recognition of his service.
Others claim they have been forced to compete to become 'glorified toilet attendants'. But while last year's ladies singles winner Barbora Krejcikova said that she liked 'the old way', world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 27, was more conflicted.
She said: 'Wimbledon has always been with the line umpires, and historically you see the referees there. So I don't know, maybe I would prefer that.
'At the same time, I don't want to have that doubt in my head every time – like, should I challenge or not?'
Michelle Dite, Wimbledon operations manager, said: 'It's an adaptation for the sport. That's what happens over time.'
British No 2 Ms Boulter, 28, today faces Spanish No 1 Paula Badosa, and Norrie, 29, takes on Spain's Roberto Agut.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
British and Irish Lions announce replacement after suffering ‘shocking' Tomos Williams injury loss
British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell concedes it is 'shocking' to lose Tomos Williams for the tour of Australia after a significant hamstring injury. Williams was one of just two Wales players for the tour and is now set to return to the UK on Monday after sustaining a blow in the second of his two impressive tries in the big win over Western Force on Saturday. And the injury is set to sideline Williams for the 'medium to long term,' with Ben White called up as his replacement. The Scotland international will come over from New Zealand on Monday, with compatriot Blair Kinghorn also joining the group after featuring for Toulouse to win the Top 14 final. For Williams, it is a case of what might have been, as the reigning Gallagher Premiership player of the year had been outstanding in his two appearances on tour, placing him firmly in contention for a Test place against the Wallabies. 'It's shocking news for us all. We're not just going to miss an outstanding player – he played unbelievably well and it was some try that he was actually injured by,' Farrell said. 'We're also going to miss the bloke. We have only been together for a few weeks now but his character is everything you want to have in your group on a Lions tour. He's very popular and that makes it a little bit tougher. 'Ben will be devastated for Tomos, like we all are. But at the same time, he's super excited. 'He obviously had ambition to get into the squad – as did many others who didn't get selected – so now he gets his chance.' Williams' withdrawal is partially offset by Jamison Gibson-Park's recovery from the glute issue that enables him to make his Lions debut against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Wednesday. Gibson-Park forms a half-back partnership with Finn Russell – a playmaking axis that was the pre-tour favourite to start against the Wallabies. Full-back Hugo Keenan and replacement lock James Ryan will also make their first appearances for the tourists after recovering from their respective calf and quad injuries. Lions captain Maro Itoje returns to the second row after being stood down for the 54-7 victory over the Force, forming an engine-room partnership with Ollie Chessum. The Reds match begins a hectic spell of four games in 11 days leading into the first Test against the Wallabies, also in Brisbane, on July 19. 'Here we go now. This is proper touring. Games are coming thick and fast, so this is the exciting part of the tour for us,' Farrell said. 'We've been outlining to the lads what the weeks are going to look like – not much training, actually, just out there on the field and plenty of mental preparation. 'But if you ask any player, what would they rather do? Be involved in big games, playing for the Lions, or training every day? I know which I'd rather do. 'We see it as a great opportunity for ourselves to be fast-tracking our ambition, our potential as a team.'
Telegraph
33 minutes ago
- Telegraph
English gardens turn Mediterranean as summers heat up
Gardens could be shifting towards more Mediterranean planting as the climate changes, experts have said. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival takes place this week, as the country swelters in a heatwave. It features more plants that thrive in conditions more traditionally found in southern Europe, and measures to conserve water in the face of hotter and drier English summers. The show, which runs from July 1-6, opens with temperatures expected to soar above 30C. Faith Carthy, the festival's shows project manager, said: 'As ever, there's a huge variety of planting styles on show at Hampton this year but underpinning it all is a move towards a more Mediterranean-inspired planting palette that thrives under a sunny sky and in dry conditions. 'This includes the spectacular sea holly Big Blue as well as gardener favourites salvia, agapanthus and kniphofia that are almost certainly at an all-time best this year. 'In terms of colour palette, blues and purples and silvery foliage reign supreme, providing a cooling, calming effect with fiery pops for contrast.' Garden displays at the show include A Woodland Edge, which aims to inspire interest in the edges of woodland as one of nature's richest environments. Nicolas Navarro, the designer, has combined resilient Mediterranean plants such as hyssop and nepetas with natives such as campanula rotundifolia which he said is thriving under current conditions. He said: 'I'm using trays to capture water run-off from those plants still in pots and once everything is in the ground will add plenty of homemade mulch to help retain moisture.' Laura Strand and Sam Stark-Kemp have designed the Teucer Wilson: Green the Gap Garden, which explores how nature can thrive in overlooked spaces, such as gaps between buildings, neglected corners and verges. The Norfolk-based designers, who live in one of the driest regions of the country, said they had chosen plants which can handle hot, dry conditions and require minimal watering once established, including Mediterranean and drought-tolerant species. Other gardens also feature drought-tolerant species, including Illusion 2050, which imagines how gardens might look in 25 years. Driest spring for a century The RHS also has some advice for gardeners struggling to keep their gardens looking good with successive hot spells following the driest spring for more than a century in England. Janet Manning, RHS water reduction officer, pointed to the use of mulch by gardeners at the show. She said: 'Many of the displays at Hampton will be subject to a good layer of mulch to help retain water in the soil, cool roots and keep plants healthy and happy. 'Soil is the biggest and best reservoir gardeners have at their disposal and so helping water to channel through it by keeping it aerated is fundamental during dry periods. 'It's never too late to apply a chunky layering of homemade compost or even let trimmed plant material rest on top of beds and borders to help with this. 'Ensuring the right plant is in the right place will also help in making the rainwater in water butts last longer during a dry spell.'
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
‘I was chewed up and spat out – fighters deserve better': Danny Roberts on starting fresh after post-UFC pain
Being a professional fighter does not guarantee the lavish lifestyle many may portray it to. For British ex- UFC star Danny Roberts, he knows this all too well. 'I was a kid that came from a tough upbringing, a lot of adversity and abuse.' The Croydon-raised brawler grew up without a father figure and came into the sport not to build a personal brand or take over the world, but to provide a certain life and be 'the man that he didn't have' for his children. Roberts, 37, spent close to eight years fighting under the UFC banner. In that time he had 14 bouts, one of which in 2022 came against current welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena. But it's since his departure that things have come into perspective on the MMA industry as a whole. 'Hot Chocolate' has not fought since his final UFC outing, a wild clash against Jonny Parsons in his home city in July 2023. His eventual cut in January of this year was far from the perfect end, with the UFC toying with his future to leave his source of income in limbo for over a year. 'My last fight in the UFC, I got fight of the night,' he told The Independent. 'Then I got told I was to have another fight, but it got to the point where a year had passed by. If I would have turned around and just left then, I could have probably been back where I needed to be a lot sooner. But that is what it is. 'As far as the UFC is concerned, I had an absolutely phenomenal time. It's part of my life that I'm never ever going to forget. But there is definitely a lot of ups and downs and a lot of things that could be better for the athletes – look after the athletes better and have their best interests in mind, because we're at the bottom of the food chain. It's like crabs in a bucket. 'Everyone's fighting to get to the top, and if you're not at the top, you ain't got s***. That's not good enough. We're talking about the premiership organisation of the world. The 20 years of your f****** life you give to be a part of that, training every day and being away from friends, family, relationships to be able to do what you can do. It's not very stable – it's like the one per cent of the one per cent.' Close to two years out of the cage, it looked like he would be making his return in the fledgling GFL, which was fronted by major names including Tony Ferguson, Alexander Gustaffson and Uriah Faber. However, the star-studded promotion collapsed before it even began, cancelling its inaugural two events, the first of which included Roberts's planned clash against Neiman Gracie. 'This is one of the things all fighters have issues with,' he said. 'There is no governing body, there is no one that can look after our best interests, so it's very hard. We get used, we get chewed up, we get spat out, and the only thing that we have is to look after ourselves. 'As fighters we're very hopeful, very ambitious, very driven, so you go and give us some sort of magic in front of us, our eyes light up. The GFL was that. It looked like it was legit.' Roberts has since found stability in the PFL and is set to make his promotional debut on 5 July, assuming the villain role as he main events against undefeated hometown hero Patrick Habirora in Brussels, Belgium. 'Creating the upset is something I relish,' he says, repeatedly expressing his gratitude to the company for the opportunity. However, he has not lost sight of the wider issues with MMA, an industry where inequality and poor communication with its 'pawns' are rife. To Roberts, unionisation would be a way to combat these problems. 'There should be,' he says when asked if the sport should have a union. 'Can you look at any other sport in the world [that doesn't have unionisation]? This isn't me trying to badmouth, I'm just speaking the gospel truth about it. 'We put our livelihoods on the line and miles on the clock. We do irreversible damage to our bodies. Yes, it's obviously our choice to do that, but it's one of the hardest ways to go and earn a paycheck, and whether you've got to be tapped in the head or just delusional to do that, we should still be valued. 'We're athletes also. We're doing what we need to do to be able to get the best for our families, and I've experienced – within a few months of leaving UFC – scraping around to find pennies to pay bills. When that comes as a realisation, it's not good.' Problems with the fighting world he may have, but Roberts is not yet ready to step away from the cage for good. 'My heart and my head are still very much in this game.' Retirement is not on his mind as he embarks on his latest career chapter in PFL, seeking to 'shoot for the stars and succeed'. But with 15 years on his professional fighting stopwatch, Roberts is fully aware that outside of the cage, the room for improvement is endless.
