British Men's No.5 Dan Evans is making waves at Wimbledon! The tennis star has made it through to the second round and is now gearing up to play veteran sport's star Novak Djokovic in the second round.
In the first round, he defeated fellow Brit, Jay Clarke, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2. It's the first time he's made it to the second round since 2021.
Following his victory, he said: "I thought, when I was walking to court, that I haven't won here in a little bit. It was amazing. Really unfortunate to have to play Jay, two guys from the Midlands, I grew up with his sister and we went to the same academy together.
© James Marsh/Shutterstock"Today meant everything. Wild card vs wild card but that was one of the top wins in my career."
As the athlete gears up for his second round, join HELLO! as we take a closer look at Dan's private life away from the spotlight with his rarely seen girlfriend, Aleah.
© Getty ImagesWimbledon: 5 surprising facts
© AFP via Getty Images1. A lot of tennis balls
Throughout the tournaments, Wimbledon goes through over 50,000 tennis balls! After the first seven games, the balls are replaced and refrigerated to maintain bounce.
2. Strawberries and cream
Tennis and strawberries are never apart throughout Wimbledon, and in fact, they only get the fruit from one supplier. Last year, Hugh Lowe Farm in Kent provided around 1.5 million strawberries over the two-week tournament.
3. Rufus the Hawk
Rufus, the hawk, has been the protector of the Wimbledon courts for the past ten years. He flies above the grounds in the early AM to chase away any pigeons to maintain a pristine court condition.
4. Prize money
The winners of the ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles championships will each receive £2.2 million. Additionally, the winners of every round will also receive money, ranging from £1500 for the winner of the first round of mixed doubles, up to £1.1 million for the runner-up in the final.
5. Longest match in history
In June 2010, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut battled for 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days, with the longest match in professional tennis history. The match totalled 183 games, and John eventually won 70-68.
Who is Dan's girlfriend?
Dan and Aleah first crossed paths back in 2017, according to Tennisfansite.com. Although not much is known about their relationship, it's believed that the couple are living together in Cheltenham.
Sharing a glimpse into their routine, Dan previously told Gloucestershire Live: "It's easy to be around here (Cheltenham). It's got a good coffee shop which always helps. Aleah and I always look for one when I'm on tour."
© Getty ImagesAlthough Dan is notoriously private about his relationship and rarely shares photos of the pair on Instagram, Aleah has been spotted supporting her beau courtside. She's previously attended some of his matches at Wimbledon, in addition to his stint at the Paris Olympics last year.
Beyond this, she has also supported the athlete at the Barcelona Open Blanc Sabadell, the 2023 United Cup, the Rolex Paris Masters in 2021, and the 2023 US Open.
© Getty ImagesDuring his pre-Wimbledon press conference, Dan appeared to make a rare comment about his personal life as he discussed the previous year.
"It's been awful basically," Dan admitted. "It's not… it's not the matches, it's uh… It's when you feel like you let people down, that's the tougher thing about it."
He continued: "I have no idea why I'm getting upset. But you go home to your wife and she travels. You see the kids – not my kids obviously – and (they ask), 'Did you win?' Just stupid things… you just feel a bit, you're not used to losing. That's probably more of the thing."
