Latest news with #AndyMurray
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
I had first death threat at 18 - Watson on social media abuse
British tennis player Heather Watson says she has received social media abuse "daily" during her career and had her first death threat aged was speaking after compatriot Katie Boulter told BBC Sport about the scale of unsavoury and hurtful comments she has received online, including death Sir Andy Murray has said he is trying to keep his children away from social media and backed calls for more action to prevent abuse of sport stars."My first death threat was at 18," Watson told BBC Sport. "I told my friend [American tennis player] Sloane Stephens at the time. "The thing that shocked me the most, but also kind of made me feel better - because I told her I was scared as this person told me he was watching me and was going to kill me - was that she said 'girl, don't worry, I get these all the time'."I'm smiling now after so many years and such a long career. I receive abuse daily, but it is all in perspective. "It is all just sad people who have nothing better going in their lives than to sit behind their computer or phone and write that."I don't think anyone in their right mind would abuse someone online they have never met. It just goes over my head, it is just madness."Watson is preparing for Wimbledon and will face Danish 23rd seed Clara Tauson in the first round of the singles draw, having been handed a wildcard. She won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 2016 with Finland's Henri Kontinen and the pair again reached the final 12 months later. 'Abuse is the norm' Speaking to BBC Sport earlier this month Boulter said that receiving abusive content and death threats has become "the norm" for athletes and that "it becomes more apparent every single time you go on your phone".Murray, who retired from professional tennis in August 2024, said the prevalence of social media abuse "hasn't really changed", despite athletes speaking out on the subject for many Boulter's comments, fellow tennis players demanded more action, including calls for the introduction of identity verification on social of the England women's football team also plan to give up social media for their forthcoming European Championship defence in Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC that the government will explore whether further protective measures can be put in place on social media platforms.
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Truffled rabbit legs, a touch of yuzu* and plates of Granny Erskine's shortbread... how Andy and Kim could swap Grand Slams for Michelin stars
Midway through a hitherto flawless fine dining experience, I wonder if it is possible that the kitchen has gone rogue. I have just been presented with a dish that I did not ask for. Rabbit was the starter on the à la carte menu that I instinctively avoided. Now, here was a serving of it arriving as a surprise intermediate course, compliments of the chef. It is, I am told, a 'signature dish'. He feels I should give it a try. It is not the first time James Mearing has flirted with danger in matching his culinary artistry with choosy palates. He did it six months ago when the stakes were very much higher. He was applying for the job of executive head chef of Cromlix, the magnificent mansion house hotel in Stirlingshire owned by tennis star Andy Murray and his wife Kim. His challenge was to rustle up two courses in two hours and present them to a panel of the hotel's top brass, including the departing chef Darin Campbell and Mrs Murray herself. How was he to know that salmon was not a dish to which she was partial? With the clock ticking and flying solo in a kitchen he had never set foot in before, he set about preparing his salmon starter, pairing it with cucumber, dill and the Japanese citrus fruit yuzu. He followed this up with a main course of venison, which highlighted his penchant for 'celebrating the product' by incorporating multiple uses of the meat in the finished dish. Mr Mearing was the latest in a series of candidates to cook for Mrs Murray and her team in the nerve-shredding final phase of the recruitment process – and he was painfully aware of the exacting standards they were seeking. Weeks earlier, the hotel was among a small batch of recipients of a Michelin key – a new award recognising the best places to stay across the globe. Clearly, they would now be shooting for a Michelin star for their restaurant. Could this London-born 41-year-old be the man to earn one for them? 'It's always challenging coming into a kitchen that you've never been in before,' he tells me. 'But this one was particularly fast-paced – having to produce high-level food within two hours.' He adds: 'I think my nature is probably intrinsic to quite a lot of chefs. We are constantly seeking perfection and our day-to-day is that never-ending search for perfection that doesn't really exist.' How close to perfect could his efforts possibly be in an alien kitchen, with no one to assist him, a time frame allowing no margin for error and a key judge who, unbeknown to him, did not enjoy salmon? Well, he had given it his best. The phone call came later that day as he, his Spanish wife Melissa and their two young children began their eight-hour drive home to Dorset. It was hotel manager Barry Makin – one of the tasting panel – telling him that the job was his. Normally they would have deliberated for a few days and let the process run, he told the chef, before adding: 'But it was clearly you by a long way.' And the verdict from Mrs Murray? 'Chef James's food is incredible. I didn't used to like salmon, but he has totally converted me with the way he cooks it.' So who is the culinary wizard confounding his new employer's expectations of dishes she thought were not for her? Certainly he is no stranger to kitchens dripping with accolades. He was, until he started at Cromlix in February, executive chef at Summer Lodge Country House Hotel and Restaurant in Evershot, Dorset, where he held three AA rosettes. Prior to that, at the Gainsborough Bath Spa he was instrumental in their securing three rosettes and he worked at the Michelin-starred Wild Rabbit in the Cotswolds. So how does he fancy his chances of complementing Sir Andy's tennis glories with elite status in the no less competitive world of fine dining? 'Our ambition is to be the best we can be and be better tomorrow than we were today,' he says. 'A Michelin star takes a great level of work and consistency and imagination and creativity and drive and we will put every bit of that into our work. But, ultimately, we cook for our guests, and we cook for each other a bit as well. 'If the combination of all that work and endeavour is a Michelin star then we would be incredibly honoured and thrilled, but we can only hope to reach those heights. We certainly can't presume that we will.' On arrival for dinner and an overnight stay, the first offering I sample is not in the restaurant but in the bedroom. And the recipe is not Mr Mearing's but Granny Erskine's. Yes, Andy Murray's maternal grandmother Shirley, 91, is the brains behind the complimentary shortbread which greets every guest. If it was good enough to become a family fixture at Wimbledon and for her daughter Judy to hand round when she was appearing on Strictly, then it is good enough too – easily – to form a delightful personal touch in five-star accommodation. What she must make of her grandson now becoming an ambassador for a rival operation – Walker's Shortbread – is another matter. My pre-dinner gin is created with botanicals grown on the 34-acre Cromlix estate – and much that finds its way onto the menu comes from the 'kitchen garden' outside. Eschewing the rabbit starter with barely a glance, I order the 'cured Mowi Scottish salmon mosaic, teriyaki slaw, ponzu, furikake beetroot, kombu dashi' and refrain from sharing that I am far from clear what some of these ingredients are. The chef explains: 'We are trying to highlight that produce in a beautiful way, so we cure it and it's just really delicately treated.' Is the salmon even cooked? I am getting a dreamy sushi vibe. 'It's actually just really gently poached… and it's seasoned with some spring onions and spring produce that we are having through the door and that's what gives that kind of mosaic effect.' The effect for me – unlike Mrs Murray, a salmon lover – is exquisite. How is it possible to have eaten this fish so many times and yet be discovering it anew? And so to the dish I never ordered: duo of rabbit, stuffed saddle, truffled leg terrine, BBQ leek, pickled walnut, truffle jus. 'Generally, in a menu, rabbit is not something you see too often,' says the chef. 'So that is an important part of what we do – to try to offer our guests something they can't just do at home or see every day.' It was a former mentor who helped start him on his rabbit epiphany. 'I remember vividly the turn that my experience in the kitchen took when I had a great chef and we were so passionate about the food we could talk about it and say, 'Wouldn't it be great if we could do this?' He was like, 'Do it. Put it on a plate. Let's give it a try. It might work.'' Well, in the same spirit, I am giving it a try – and now trying more and more. Suddenly I am gushing with gratitude for this extra dish, the bounty of unexplored flavours it has unlocked, the panache of the presentation. His twist on it is a running theme in his cooking. He uses the whole animal – saddle, shoulder, legs, carcass, the lot – and creates terrine and jus accompaniments whose root ingredient is the creature itself. As Mrs Murray before me was converted to salmon, so I am converted to rabbit – from this kitchen at any rate. We move to the main event – 'salt aged St Bride's duck, poached rhubarb, baked kohlrabi, red chicory, five spice duck jus'. Mr Mearing presents it in person at my table and, as he explains the dish, gently pours some of that five spice duck jus onto my plate. The root ingredient here is a roasted mixture of the wings and carcass. 'The duck is another great one where we use the whole bird,' he says, almost superfluously. Of course they do. It is the Mearing way – 'celebrate the product'. And, in doing so, perhaps, reintroduce it to those who assume they know it already. I was duly enchanted by this delicate melange of the finest Scottish produce, garden grown delights and the lightest tickle of Asian influence that is a recurring theme in his cooking. What, then, is Mr Mearing's management style in the quest for perfection. Does he turn the air blue in the kitchen like some chefs we know? 'Certainly far from Gordon Ramsay,' he says. 'Very calm. That goes into my approach to cooking and managing my team as well. 'I want Cromlix to be an incredible experience for our guests, but I really want it to be an incredible journey for the people that come and join the team here too. 'I'm trying to create a space of nurturing and creativity so that it will be a part of their story that they can say 'I was at Cromlix' and they wear that like a badge they are proud of.' Clearly, the hotel near Dunblane where the Murrays used to go for family celebrations has also been on a journey since the tennis star bought it for £1.8million months before winning his first Wimbledon in 2013. He and his bride had their wedding reception there in 2015 and, in recent years, she has played an increasingly prominent role in shaping it. Apart from its tennis court – complete with an umpire's chair once used in a match between Murray and Roger Federer – there are few nods to the illustrious sporting career of its co-owner. The feel is of a luxury woodland retreat, an oasis of calm and rural opulence just two miles from the A9 dual carriageway which you soon forget is even there. Laid out on the floor and on pegs in the entrance hall is a selection of Barbour wellies and waxed jackets for anyone who fancies taking a stroll around the grounds. There is a croquet lawn and garden chess. The rooms are named not after tennis tournaments but wild flowers growing on the estate. I was in Allium – whose enormous bathroom is justifiably described as 'show-stopping' – and next door was Fennel. All were given the personal Kim Murray touch in a 2023 refurbishment. And she has not finished yet. In January the hotel will close for four months while a new 70-cover restaurant wing and three ground-floor bedrooms are added. The stately 'garden room', meanwhile, will be transformed into an intimate, fine dining 'tasting menu' restaurant and the glasshouse – where meals are currently served – will be given over exclusively to afternoon tea. For Mr Mearing, the owners' sense of ambition was a key reason why he wanted the job so badly, even if it did mean uprooting his family from the south coast of England. He says: 'If you've got owners that are so passionate and pouring so much into the place then you know that you're on a journey and it's going somewhere, and that's great.' Now that he knows the hotel is on their radar, does he think he'll know the next time Michelin experts are in his midst? Well, he says, the hotel had no idea anyone had been there prior to its award of a Michelin key. 'That's the beauty of it because, every day, you have to set out to reach that level. That's why, as I say, we just try to be the best we can be for our guests. You can't just put on a show for one day, knowing that someone is coming. 'You just have to operate at that level and see what comes.' Although Mr Mearing has cooked on a number of occasions for Mrs Murray, the challenge of catering for her other half – a sushi and Asian food lover – awaits. The two have yet to meet. When they do, the tennis star may advise chef on which school to choose for his children, Molly-Jane, three, and Matteo, one. Currently their mum is looking at Murray's old one, Dunblane Primary. I can already advise Murray on what to choose when he next swings by Cromlix for a bite. Go for the salmon, Andy. And the rabbit. And the duck. They're gamechangers.
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
The incredible numbers behind the world's fastest growing sport: New study shows why everyone is talking about padel
Padel has taken the world by storm over the past few years and a new study has revealed the staggering numbers which demonstrate its rise in popularity. The sport, typically played in doubles on a smaller court enclosed by glass - was invented by a Mexican businessman in the 1960s. It has now garnered the title of the planet's 'fastest growing sport' with a meteoric rise in recent times. Playtomic's 2025 Global Padel Report, which is widely referred to as 'the Bible of Padel' has highlighted the continued international rise and impact of the sport. 3,282 new clubs opened worldwide in 2024 at an average on almost nine new openings a day (a 22% increase from 2023). 7,187 new courts were built which put the total number of courts worldwide above 50,000. The 26 per cent year-over-year growth in clubs and 17 per cent growth is reflective of a sport that has now made its way into the mainstream. And it is only expected to continue picking up pace with more than 81,000 padel courts are expected to be built by 2027. Unsurprisingly, international investors are flocking to padel, including several famous faces. Andy Murray backs Game4Padel, a padel court building company which is bringing the sport to Westfield London, and Cristiano Ronaldo has put money into a giant facility in Lisbon. Padel was recognised by the International Olympic Committee in 2019, was officially designated a discipline of tennis in Britain in 2020. It was played at the European Games in Poland in 2023, in its first appearance in a major multi-sport event, and the annual Hexagon Cup - a visionary competition held in Madrid played between teams helmed by celebrities including Lionel Messi and Andy Murray - held its draft for the February 2025 tournament at the start of last month. PwC's Head of the Global Padel Report, Elena Martin mentioned: 'We are delighted to see that the sector has returned to a path of organic and sustainable growth, following the post-COVID activity surge and the adjustments made in 2023. 'With over 50,000 leads currently, development remains strong, particularly in key markets such as France and the United Kingdom. Our projections suggest that this growth momentum will continue in the years ahead.'
The Guardian
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘You don't want to be left behind' – Raducanu buoyed for Wimbledon by Draper's rapid rise
Emma Raducanu believes that the recent success enjoyed by Jack Draper can only help her as the two old friends tackle Wimbledon, and all the pressure that comes with it, as Britain's No 1 players. Draper has taken over Andy Murray's mantle on the men's side of the game, having reached No 4 in the world rankings after a remarkable six months. Although Draper has never passed the second round at Wimbledon, he is capable of making his first deep run at the All England Club when the championships begin on Monday. The 23-year-old's burgeoning profile – he shot a Burberry campaign with the model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in between winning the Indian Wells title and reaching the French Open quarter-finals this month – has diverted some of the focus on Raducanu since her breakout summer of 2021, when a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon while ranked 338 in the world was followed by victory in the US Open. 'It is amazing,' Raducanu said of Draper's rise. 'I've known him for so long, so many years, and when we were juniors, we were both pretty promising, and now to kind of be British No 1 on both men and women's side and the real thing is, it's pretty cool. So this Wimbledon, I'm sure, for him, will feel different, but he's in a great place, and obviously with his seeding you know, hopefully it can help him.' Seeded fourth, Draper is in the other half of the draw from Jannik Sinner and can only face the reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals – but could play Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. Raducanu, meanwhile, is now ranked 38 as she attempts to establish herself at the top of the game chasing players such as the world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, who knocked her out in the second round at Roland Garros and to manage the back problem she has had since just before the French Open. This year will mark the first Wimbledon without line judges, with the tournament adopting electronic line-calling. A total of 23 British players will compete in the men's and women's singles draw, including Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal, Jacob Fearnley and Cameron Norrie – the most British main-draw entrants since 1984. Raducanu believes their friendly competition will push each other to greater heights. 'You see them win their match so you want to win your match, and it's that kind of healthy competition, because you don't want to be the one left behind, you know? And I think that's a good thing, and it's not coming from any bad place,' said Raducanu. Raducanu has spent much of the past four years trying to adjust to her status as a major champion and all the scrutiny that comes with it. Her difficulties have included several encounters with a stalker during her tournaments in Asia last year, with a tearful Raducanu hiding behind the umpire's chair after spotting the man during her match at the Dubai Open in February. The man, who has never been named publicly, signed a document agreeing to stay away from Raducanu. The All England Club subsequently removed the man from Wimbledon's ticket waiting list. In general, however, Raducanu appears to be in a better place. She has found herself gravitating towards people she knew before her breakthrough results, including her current coach, Mark Petchey. In the past, Raducanu did not trust the people around her enough to be completely open and vulnerable. 'It just felt like I couldn't speak out really, because I didn't want what I said to kind of be shared and spoken about and gossiped about, because you know how the Chinese whispers go. It's just exaggerated and things are twisted. So I just prefer to keep everything in and that is not necessarily the best thing because when you're on the court, you're kind of playing, holding a lot in rather than being expressive, and that's when I'm at my best,' said Raducanu. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Having been academically inclined in her youth, Raducanu recently found herself wanting to return to her studies. She has taken up a one-year art history course, a stark contrast to maths and economics, her chosen A-level subjects. In recent months, she has come to understand that she is a creative person and those qualities are key to her success on the court. 'It is something I've discovered recently,' she said. 'I think I was growing up very kind of boxed into a way of thinking that, like maths and logic and like ABC, and then as I kind of went through it over the last few years and figured out what I actually enjoy. I think when I play my best, I'm very free. I'm enjoying it, I don't have to be so serious and 'on' all the time, because sometimes on the court, if you're laughing, it can be seen as unserious. But actually for me, it's a better way, and I'm probably going to play better than if I'm just putting so much pressure on myself to be 'on' and perfect.' This year, Raducanu has made some positive progress, reestablishing herself inside the top 40 and putting herself in position to rise even further. Her susceptibility to injury, however, has continued to be a significant problem. After losing in the second round of Eastbourne on Wednesday, she also noted that she has been dealing with some undisclosed personal issues. Looking at the bigger picture, the goal is to simply ensure that she enjoys her time on and off the court. 'Sometimes I want to go into the future and think: 'Oh my God, am I going to regret not enjoying this moment?'' said Raducanu. 'I'm 22 now, so I'm kind of living for that person to not have any regrets to look back on.'
The Independent
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Jack Draper faces added pressure as home favourite at Wimbledon
BBC presenter Clare Balding warned it will be harder for Jack Draper to win Wimbledon than for his rivals as he copes with the pressure of playing in front of a home crowd. The 23-year-old will be seeded fourth when play begins next week as he looks to build on victory at Indian Wells in March, his first ATP Masters 1000 title, as well as his first Grand Slam semi-final at last year's US Open. Draper was drawn to face Argentine Sebastian Baez in the first round and faces a potentially tough route through the tournament which could see him go up against each of Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. But though the world's top two Alcaraz and Sinner have split the past six Grand Slams between them, Draper has already tasted victory over both. 'I do think Jack Draper is capable of winning Grand Slam titles,' said Balding, who was speaking at an event in London to mark one year of Barclays' Free Park Tennis scheme, which provides facilities and coaching with the aim of removing barriers between children and grassroots sport. 'But I think it's harder for a British player to win Wimbledon than any of the other Grand Slams because of the added pressure of it being your home tournament. 'The attention and the distraction of all the media you have to do. For all the benefits of the support of the crowd you've also got that added element of how much you want it. 'It's why Andy Murray's even more remarkable. Dealing with that desire and how it affects your brain and how your brain then affects your body, it's a big psychological challenge.' Balding points to Murray's career as an indicator of why initiatives like Free Park Tennis are key in widening the pool of potential tennis stars. Traditionally, lack of access to facilities and equipment due to costs have acted as a barrier within some communities and demographics. The hope is that by opening up those facilities and putting them within easy reach, those barriers will fall away. Since its inception last year the initiative has engaged 35,000 children by offering free coaching and equipment on around a hundred courts nationwide. '(Murray's) is not a story of coming from a privileged background,' said Balding. 'It's a story of access, because his mum was a tennis coach, so there's the key. 'Andy and Jamie Murray would have played another sport. If their parents had been involved in a golf club they'd have taken up golf. They had access (to tennis) but through a very specific route. 'There are going to be over a hundred courts open, available and free to use. Thousands of kids have already done it and I hope more and more will. 'We know all the research into kids being outside, kids being fitter, healthier, all of those things. But I think the key with tennis is the focus that's required, the real concentration. That's a huge benefit to children.'
