Latest news with #Weybridge
The Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Brit Jack Draper showed he was born to star at Wimbledon with 100-shot rally when he was FIVE years old
JACK DRAPER first showed he was 'born for the big stage' with a 100-shot rally aged just FIVE. On Friday morning, the British No 1 will learn his potential path to a Wimbledon final as he aims to follow in the footsteps of two-time winner Andy Murray. 1 Draper, 23, has soared to No 4 in the world rankings following a stellar year on court, which saw him crowned Indian Wells champion in March. His success comes as no surprise to his former coach Justin Sherring — the man who nurtured his talent at the Weybridge Tennis Academy. And it was one particular passage of play over the net as a kid which caught the eye. Sherring told SunSport: 'I coached Jack from the age of five to 15. His dad was the CEO of the Lawn Tennis Association and I knew his mum. 'His brother, who is now his agent, also came to the academy. I could see Jack was talented straight away. I had a 100-shot rally with him when he was only five years old. 'He used the whole of the court and just loved playing. Amazing hand-eye coordination — the best I have seen. He also had a massive desire to win. 'I used to make sure I beat him and he always wanted to carry on playing, as he didn't want to lose. I used to tell him to come back tomorrow and try to beat me. He had a huge passion for the game and wanted to keep learning. 'He was always so competitive, with great focus and also a hunger to improve his game. I've coached a lot of kids but what stood out was his dedication and drive. I'm not surprised by the success he has had. He looks born for the big stage.' Draper reached the semi-finals of the US Open last year in New York and warmed up for Wimbledon with a run to the last four at Queen's. He was struggling with tonsillitis when he was beaten by Czech ace Jiri Lehecka in the semi-finals in London last weekend — and ended up smashing an advertising board in anger. But that incident aside, Sherring thinks Draper can thrive on the pressure of carrying the hopes of a nation at SW19. He added: 'It's very tough with the demands on tour, the way he has come through challenges to get to where he is now is very impressive. 'Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are up there as the favourites but Jack has shown he can compete with them. If he settles in nicely at Wimbledon, with the crowd behind him, he can be dangerous. 'He has already been to the final there as a junior. Jack has no fear and certainly has the game to go a long way in the tournament. 'It is only a matter of time before he wins a Grand Slam. I was at Indian Wells when he went all the way for an amazing win, you could see the belief he had. 'He has been able to adapt his game very well. He played a lot on clay as a junior but has been able to adapt to playing on different surfaces. 'If he gets into the right state of mind at Wimbledon, he will be a very difficult opponent. It can go either way when you have the pressure of playing in a home Grand Slam. Jack can certainly use it to his advantage.' John McEnroe says he first became aware of Draper nearly a decade ago when the Brit, a foot shorter than his current 6ft 4in frame, attended his US academy. Wimbledon Ticket Options There are a range of ways to get into Wimbledon as one of the only major sporting events in the world that offer sought-after tickets on the day of the event... The Queue As one of the only major sporting events that allows guests to purchase tickets on the day of the event, demand is high. Each day a large queue forms of people wanting either a Grounds or Show Court ticket - with many even arriving the night before and camping to guarantee a place. Upon arrival, visitors are issued a Queue Card, which is numbered and dated and should be kept until a ticket has been purchased. While there is a limited number of entries, it is possible to remain in the queue and wait for people already inside to leave, with those tickets then becoming available. It is also possible to check the status of the queue on the Wimbledon website. This year, organisers are asking potential queuers to download the Wimbledon app and create a myWimbledon account. Show Tickets If you get to the front of the queue, then there are a limited number of tickets available for purchase for Centre Court and Courts 1, 2 and 3. Note that Centre Court tickets are available for the first 10 days of the tournament, the final four days were already pre-sold. Prices vary depending on the Court, seat and day of the event and will increase the further into the tournament you visit. For example, Centre Court rows A-T cost £105 on Day 1 and £315 on Day 14 (men's final). Grounds Pass A Grounds Pass costs £30 and allows visitors to watch matches on Courts 3-18 on unreserved seats, though there will also be a queue to get into Court 3. Ticket Resale From 3pm each day, tickets may become available from people who have left Wimbledon and made their seat available. A Grounds Pass is needed to join the virtual queue on the Wimbledon App. Tickets cost £15 for Centre Court or £10 for Courts 1/2. Hospitality There are a range of hospitality packages still available on the Wimbledon website. Hospitality packages offer guaranteed premium seating to major matches as well as fine dining experiences, complimentary drinks, a shuttle and concierge service. Hospitality packages can also be purchased via Seat Unique. Secondary Markets Sites such as StubHub offer tickets for the main courts for specific days and times. *Please note that StubHub and similar secondary ticket resale sites may list tickets above face value.* The American tennis legend — a seven-time Major-winner — said: 'Jack was 14. He was like 5ft 1in or something. 'So, he had to work on everything. He obviously had a lot of talent. 'I'm not sure how tall his mum is. Or exactly how tall his dad is. I didn't see that happening where, oh, my God, Jesus Christ, this guy's now a physical specimen. 'Jack's really developed into a force. He's seeded No 4 so to me he's the fourth favourite without a doubt. He's absolutely put himself in the mix. He's put himself in a great position. He doesn't have to deal with Sinner or Alcaraz until the semis, that's all you can ask for.' Draper — who is now over his bout of tonsillitis — faced Denmark's Holger Rune yesterday in an exhibition match at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic in Hurlingham, South-West London. After taking a set each, Draper won the deciding tiebreak 10-4. And ahead of today's SW19 main draw at 10am, the Londoner said: 'There are a lot of British players and talent, it's really exciting. 'I will compete hard. It's a great opportunity. I feel good and prepped. I feel strong and ready. At this level, everyone's a great player and everyone can challenge people, even the best players in the world. 'My mindset is whoever I play against I'll have the utmost respect for. They're in the draw for a reason, they're going to be dangerous. 'They're going to want to come out and swing against a guy who's a home player and who's highly ranked. I know whoever I play in the first round is going to be an incredibly tough match but I'll be ready for that. 'It's going to be a privilege to play as the British No 1 and that's what I've always wanted. I've wanted to make Centre Court or Wimbledon my environment and I'm looking forward to hopefully starting that.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
World's most deadly viruses to be held at new lab in Surrey
Cutting-edge laboratories to hold and study the world's most deadly diseases are to be built in Surrey. Fatal and incurable viruses will be researched at a new facility in Weybridge to help prevent future pandemics and also to prepare for a potential terror attack with a biological weapon. The new National Biosecurity Centre will have the highest classification of lab biosecurity to analyse the most dangerous diseases, known as biosafety level four pathogens, which include Ebola. This upgrade in biosecurity at Weybridge puts it on equivalent footing to the UK Healthy Security Agency (UKHSA) base at Porton Down, but on a much bigger scale, as it will test and study infected farm animals, not just rodents. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on Monday announced £1 billion of taxpayer money to fund the centre, as part of a £2.8 billion overhaul of the Government's marquee animal disease site. The level four labs will allow staff to safely handle deadly diseases by working in self-contained suits with a dedicated air supply, air locks upon entry and exit, negative air pressure, airtight facilities, and chemical disinfection showers. Scientists will use the new facilities, due to open in 2033, to prevent outbreaks of disease. This includes known pathogens, but also as yet unknown future outbreaks such as 'Disease X', a hypothetical pathogen that will cause the next pandemic, officials say. Environment Secretary Steve Reed told The Telegraph: 'Covid happened once and it can happen again, so we need to invest in the world-class facilities we need to keep not just the economy safe, but the people in this country safe. 'This will be one of only five or six facilities in the world up to this standard. Somebody described this national biosecurity centre to me as being the MI5 of animal and plant disease.' It will also allow the centre to lead on anti-bioterrorism work to ensure that diseases of plants or animals are not weaponised against Britain. The National Biosecurity Centre will work alongside scientists at the MoD's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the UKHSA facilities at Porton Down. This three-pronged network will form the backbone of the tranche of the UK's National Security Strategy against biological agents, both zoonotic and from hostile states. Around 60 per cent of all diseases are zoonotic and spread to humans via animals. Mr Reed said: 'In the same way pathogens can be used against humans, they can be used against the plants and animals we depend on for food. 'This site will be part of a network of facilities we need to strengthen national security. This is where bioweapon work will be researched and tackled so that we can recognise it, should it happen, and then have the means to combat it.' The Weybridge site is the main research centre of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and has been criticised for being in poor condition. Scientists at these labs lead the response to bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease, and bluetongue. It is also where swabs from the recent rabies fatality were tested. Mr Reed added: 'The money is so desperately needed. You can see just from looking around that these are very old facilities – some remind me of my old science lab at school. 'It shouldn't look like that, it should be a world-class facility. It has world-class people working in it, but the buildings and the tools are not up to the standard they need to be. The previous Government let them become close to obsolete. 'This investment is desperately needed now to protect food production, farming and the economy as well as human beings.' A 2022 National Audit Office report found the site to be in shoddy shape, with it having the highest possible risk of failure possible, and warned it would be unable to cope with a serious outbreak. Dr Jenny Stewart, APHA Senior Science Director, told The Telegraph: 'The new centre will add some new capabilities that will let us deal with diseases that we can't currently deal with on this site, and allow us to do research. 'That will mean that we're ready for the next thing that comes. We have a thing called 'Pathogen X', or 'Disease X', and at this site we can be ready for whatever that might be. 'The step change is that we're going to have a higher level of containment on the site that lets us deal with more dangerous diseases than we currently manage on this site. 'We keep saying we are a Reliant Robin, and we are getting a spacecraft.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
World's most deadly viruses to be held at new lab in Surrey
Cutting-edge laboratories to hold and study the world's most deadly diseases are to be built in Surrey. Fatal and incurable viruses will be researched at a new facility in Weybridge to help prevent future pandemics and also to prepare for a potential terror attack with a biological weapon. The new National Biosecurity Centre will have the highest classification of lab biosecurity to analyse the most dangerous diseases, known as biosafety level four pathogens, which include Ebola. This upgrade in biosecurity at Weybridge puts it on equivalent footing to the UK Healthy Security Agency (UKHSA) base at Porton Down, but on a much bigger scale, as it will test and study infected farm animals, not just rodents. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on Monday announced £1 billion of taxpayer money to fund the centre, as part of a £2.8 billion overhaul of the Government's marquee animal disease site. The level four labs will allow staff to safely handle deadly diseases by working in self-contained suits with a dedicated air supply, air locks upon entry and exit, negative air pressure, airtight facilities, and chemical disinfection showers. Scientists will use the new facilities, due to open in 2033, to prevent outbreaks of disease. This includes known pathogens, but also as yet unknown future outbreaks such as 'Disease X', a hypothetical pathogen that will cause the next pandemic, officials say. Environment Secretary Steve Reed told The Telegraph: 'Covid happened once and it can happen again, so we need to invest in the world-class facilities we need to keep not just the economy safe, but the people in this country safe. 'This will be one of only five or six facilities in the world up to this standard. Somebody described this national biosecurity centre to me as being the MI5 of animal and plant disease.' It will also allow the centre to lead on anti-bioterrorism work to ensure that diseases of plants or animals are not weaponised against Britain. The National Biosecurity Centre will work alongside scientists at the MoD's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the UKHSA facilities at Porton Down. This three-pronged network will form the backbone of the tranche of the UK's National Security Strategy against biological agents, both zoonotic and from hostile states. Around 60 per cent of all diseases are zoonotic and spread to humans via animals. Mr Reed said: 'In the same way pathogens can be used against humans, they can be used against the plants and animals we depend on for food. 'This site will be part of a network of facilities we need to strengthen national security. This is where bioweapon work will be researched and tackled so that we can recognise it, should it happen, and then have the means to combat it.' The Weybridge site is the main research centre of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and has been criticised for being in poor condition. Scientists at these labs lead the response to bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease, and bluetongue. It is also where swabs from the recent rabies fatality were tested. Mr Reed added: 'The money is so desperately needed. You can see just from looking around that these are very old facilities – some remind me of my old science lab at school. 'It shouldn't look like that, it should be a world-class facility. It has world-class people working in it, but the buildings and the tools are not up to the standard they need to be. The previous Government let them become close to obsolete. 'This investment is desperately needed now to protect food production, farming and the economy as well as human beings.' New capabilities A 2022 National Audit Office report found the site to be in shoddy shape, with it having the highest possible risk of failure possible, and warned it would be unable to cope with a serious outbreak. Dr Jenny Stewart, APHA Senior Science Director, told The Telegraph: 'The new centre will add some new capabilities that will let us deal with diseases that we can't currently deal with on this site, and allow us to do research. 'That will mean that we're ready for the next thing that comes. We have a thing called 'Pathogen X', or 'Disease X', and at this site we can be ready for whatever that might be. 'The step change is that we're going to have a higher level of containment on the site that lets us deal with more dangerous diseases than we currently manage on this site. 'We keep saying we are a Reliant Robin, and we are getting a spacecraft.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
World's most deadly diseases will be kept at new Surrey lab
The world's most dangerous diseases will be researched at state-of-the-art laboratories in Surrey. The brand new National Biosecurity Centre in Weybridge will aim to prevent future pandemics by keeping various incurable and fatal viruses in its facilities. It will be handed the highest classification of lab biosecurity, allowing researchers to study the deadliest diseases, known as biosafety level four pathogens, which include Ebola. This upgrade in rating gives it the same classification as the UK Healthy Security Agency base at Porton Down. But operations in Weybridge will take on a much wider scope, with the facility set to analyse a range of infected farm animals, not just rodents. The facility will also help prepare for the possibility of a terror attack involving biological weapons. Staff at the site will do their research in special self-contained suits with their own air supply, air locks, negative air pressure and disinfection showers, allowing them to safely handle the dangerous viruses. They will also analyse currently unknown diseases including Disease X, a hypothetical pathogen that will lead to the next pandemic. On Monday, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs announced it would fund the labs with £1billion of taxpayer money, part of a larger £2.8bn revamp of the Government's premier animal disease centre. It comes after warnings from the National Audit Office that the Government was not properly prepared for a major outbreak of animal disease. Such diseases include bird flu, bluetongue and African swine fever and can pose serious threats to England's farming sector, food security, and wildlife, and are a major and increasing risk to public health. About 60 per cent of all known human infectious diseases can be transmitted from animals to people, and three quarters of emerging infectious diseases originate in animals, officials warned. The 'record' investment will complete the redevelopment of the crumbling animal science facilities at Weybridge, which the National Audit Office (NAO) recently warned was at 'very high' risk of site failure. Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: 'The first role of any Government is national security. 'That is why we are making a record investment into the nation's biosecurity capabilities and, in turn, our national security, after years of chronic underfunding. 'Farmers and food producers will now be better protected from diseases, our food security strengthened, and public health better safeguarded against future pandemics.' Jenny Stewart, senior science director at the Animal and Plant Health Agency, which runs the labs, said the funding was a 'vital milestone' in the delivery of the new facilities. 'Our scientists and specialists at Weybridge are at the heart of the UK's disease surveillance and response capability and provide a global centre of expertise,' she added. 'Investment on this scale will enable them to continue their critical work in modern, fit-for-purpose facilities, supported by the very latest technologies.' The Government said work was already under way at the Weybridge site, with the first interim labs to support science ready in 2027 and 2028, and the national biosecurity centre due to be operational in 2033-34.
Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Times
Events manager thrown in pool on work trip sues for £250,000
A health brand is being sued for £250,000 after an employee was thrown into a swimming pool at a five-star hotel during a work trip to Mauritius. Chloe Hewitt, 26, says she landed on broken glass after she was thrown into a pool 'in jest' by intoxicated colleagues who had been enjoying a free bar on the island. The event was organised by Herbalife, a health drink company often criticised as a 'pyramid scheme', for its salespeople. Hewitt, of Weybridge, Surrey, emerged from the water bleeding after cutting her foot on the bottom of the pool, sustaining nerve damage that has since required two operations and physiotherapy. She is suing the company's European arm, Uxbridge-based Herbalife Europe, claiming more than £250,000 in damages on the basis that it had not done enough to ensure the event was safe.
