Dan Evans might have made a few bad decisions in the past but he’s always had the ability to play at the top level.

I don’t know if a switch went off in his head some time last year, but to go from being ranked below 700 to 91 in the world and playing Roger Federer on Centre Court is very impressive, and it only happens through hard work.

It takes some people longer than others to work out how best to get there and he’s on the right track now.

Dan’s been a great Davis Cup team-mate – he supports well and tries his backside off in matches, and that’s all you want really.

He played very well against Kei Nishikori in Birmingham earlier this year, and he’s had some big wins in the past against guys ranked much higher than him.

Every time I’ve practised with him he’s been fantastic and he’s never complained when he’s not been picked or played.

I don’t think that’s always been said, or that the good things about him have been reported as much.

Dan would probably admit he’s made some bad mistakes along the way but when he’s represented his country, I think he should be very proud of how he’s performed.

‘He’s a cheeky chappie, fun to be around’

I thought Marcus Willis did very well against Roger once he settled into the match and it will be interesting to see how Dan gets on.

He and Marcus are good friends and I think both of them know how to enjoy themselves. Dan is a sort of cheeky chappie, always fun to be around.

My fitness trainer Matt Little worked with him when he was 10 years old and said the first time they were introduced, he said, ‘Hi, I’m Matt Little’, and Dan said, ‘It’s funny that your surname’s Little when you’re tiny.’

That was Dan as a 10-year-old, and in some ways he hasn’t changed much!

He still seems like the same person I first met. We always got on well. It seems like he’s finally found that consistency of working hard all of the time and I think his coach Mark Hilton will be very good for Dan in that respect, because when Mark played he was a really good worker.

The other reason I think Dan is going to keep moving up the rankings is because he’s good – he’s really good – and the more you play at this level, the better you get.

In the past he would play maybe one match every three months at this level, and then go back down to Futures. Now he’s playing and practising with guys like this every week and he can keep pushing higher.

Dan certainly won’t be the favourite against Roger but he can cause him problems and make it interesting.

‘You can’t avoid the top players if you want to win things’

I was happy with how I played against Yen-Hsun Lu, especially in the second and third sets, and as always at this stage I’m just hoping I can keep improving with each round.

After the match I met Carl Froch for the first time face to face, having spoken to him on the radio a couple of times before, and I always get something out of meeting boxers.

What made Carl different was he always fought the best fighters available, which is pretty rare in boxing. He fought everyone, all of the big names in his division, and he was very entertaining to watch. He was never really in dull fights.

I suppose I can relate to that in as much as you can’t avoid the top players in tennis if you want to win things, although to be honest I can understand it more in boxing because it’s a very dangerous sport.

Boxers have a short career and obviously want to make the most amount of money and be as successful as possible in that time.

I certainly don’t plan on anything going wrong when I play John Millman on Saturday, but when I do lose a tennis match, the consequences are not quite so serious.

In a sport like boxing, if you pick the wrong fight at the wrong time, it can be pretty rough.

Andy Murray was talking to BBC Sport’s Piers Newbery.

BBC Sport – Tennis

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Andy Murray will attempt to reach the third round on Thursday as Wimbledon starts play earlier than usual after two rain-disrupted days.

Murray is one of four Britons in singles action with Johanna Konta, Heather Watson and Dan Evans also hoping to progress. Here is what you should not miss on the fourth day of Wimbledon.

• Order of play – who is in action when?

‘A good early test for Murray’

Former champion Murray will play Chinese Tapei’s Yen-Hsun Lu, a man who beat three-time finalist Andy Roddick in 2010 to reach the quarter-finals at SW19. He also knocked out Murray at the 2008 Olympics.

The 29-year-old expects a tough match against the world number 78 – who is on an 11-match winning streak – but the Scot has won three of their four encounters.

“It’s a very tough match. He’s played the three grass-court Challengers in the build-up. He’s won two of them and lost in the final of one,” said Murray, who is scheduled second on Centre Court, with the match expected to start at about 15:00 BST.

Andrew Castle, former British number one and BBC Sport commentator, said: “Lu is a regular and genuine top-100 player. This will be a demanding match – but Andy is hitting the ball as well as I have ever seen him hit it.

“I don’t see him getting into too much trouble. I still suspect we will be seeing him in the final.”

No rest for Konta

British number one Konta experienced her first victory at Wimbledon on Wednesday after four previous first-round losses and is back in action on day four.

The 25-year-old is one of many players who will have to make a quick turnaround this week to clear the backlog caused by the rain delays on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The 19th seed is facing Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, a player who has failed to find form since reaching the Wimbledon final in 2014 and is now ranked 48th in the world.

The pair, who have never faced each other before, are due on Centre Court after Murray’s match, possibly at about 17:00 BST.

Watson and Evans hope for dry day

British number two Heather Watson will hope she can finally complete her first-round match on the third day of trying.

The world number 55 let the second set slip against Annika Beck on court 12 so will contest a decider on Thursday, with Beck having broken early in the third for a 1-0 lead before rain stopped play.

The pair will resume on the same court at 11:00 BST.

Dan Evans was competitive against Ukrainian 30th seed Alexandr Dolgopolov in their second-round match, taking the first set to 6-6 before rain prevented a tie-break.

The British number four and Dolgopolov are first on court two with play set to start at 11:00 BST.

It is also the start of the doubles and there will be a conflict of interest for British fans as Jamie Murray and his Brazilian partner Bruno Soares take on Briton Colin Fleming and Jonathan Erlich of Israel in the final match on court 18.

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BBC Sport – Tennis

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I think sport can play a role in taking people’s minds off more serious matters and Marcus Willis’ story would make anyone feel good.

For the world number 772 to be playing Roger Federer, arguably the best male player ever, on Centre Court at Wimbledon is amazing.

It’s just a great story that’s happened to a really good fun guy, and it’s nice that the public seem to have taken to him. If he was an absolute prat I’m sure some people would just think, ‘He’s an idiot, I’m not interested’, but he’s definitely the kind of person who deserves this moment.

I haven’t seen Marcus much over the last four or five years but whenever I’ve spent any time with him, he just makes you smile and laugh. I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like him.

So I hope he enjoys the experience on Wednesday but also that he keeps on playing beyond Wimbledon.

He’s proved over the last 10 days that if he can maintain this motivation and concentration over a whole season, there’s no reason he can’t be playing at this level a little bit more often.

‘Marcus turned up late, and totally drenched’

There are plenty of stories about Marcus on the tour – he’s quite a character.

My physio told me that a few years ago he was at a tournament where Marcus was playing, and every time Marcus hit a ball, rather than grunting he was shouting “Djokovic!” or “Federer!” or “Nadal!” depending on which shot he was playing. For a whole match!

Another time, my fitness trainer went on a trip to Livorno in Italy when Marcus was 14 and he’d been called for his doubles match, but his partner had no idea where he was.

The place was right next to the sea and Marcus eventually turned up late, and totally drenched.

His partner said, ‘Where have you been?’ and Marcus explained that some of the guys had dared him to swim out to one of the buoys in the sea, so obviously he did it – in his kit – and turned up completely soaked.

I’m sure there are plenty more Marcus stories I don’t know about as well!

‘I’m checking the news every night’

It’s great that so many people enjoy Wimbledon, and that the British players are providing a feelgood factor so far, but the way the country is run is more important than any sporting event.

There’s obviously a lot going on right now and I’m checking the news every night before I go to bed, then first thing when I wake up in the morning.

And as well as catching up on the news, I am also still trying to watch the football wherever I can fit it in.

‘I was seeing myself on TV and in the papers’

The media attention is the thing that I remember most from my first Wimbledon in 2005, because it was full-on and it was so new.

I was getting followed, there were photographers everywhere, at all of my practices, I couldn’t get anywhere without people wanting to talk to me. I was seeing myself on TV or reading about myself in the papers.

That’s hard when you’re very young and not used to it, it can take you a little bit by surprise.

Hopefully Marcus is coping with it all – I get the feeling he’ll deal with that stuff absolutely fine.

I was saying to my wife after he won his first-round match, ‘You’ve got to listen to his interviews because he’s just so funny.’ I heard his press conference was awesome.

I’m practising in the morning, so one thing is for sure, I’ll be heading home to watch the match like everyone else.

Andy Murray was talking to BBC Sport’s Piers Newbery.

BBC Sport – Tennis

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British number ones Andy Murray and Johanna Konta will begin their Wimbledon tournaments on Tuesday.

Konta, 25, arrives at SW19 as the 16th seed after reaching the Australian Open semi-finals in January and will face Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig.

World number two Murray, 29, meanwhile, faces another Brit in 22-year-old Liam Broady – ranked 235th in the world.

Britain’s world number 772 Marcus Willis stole the headlines on day one, setting up a tie with Roger Federer.

Murray’s meeting with Broady, who has been seen hitting with high-profile names such as Milos Raonic and the Canadian’s coach John McEnroe this week, will take place on Centre Court after defending champion Serena Williams opens day two against Swiss Amra Sadikovic at 13:00 BST.

“It’s an opportunity for him to play on one of the biggest courts in the world with a huge audience and try to cause an upset,” said Murray, champion in 2013.

There will be added scrutiny of world number two Murray as he embarks on his first Grand Slam since reuniting with coach Ivan Lendl, who formed part of his camp when he won his two majors.

Fresh from becoming the first British woman to reach the semi-finals of Eastbourne’s Aegon International since 1976, Britain’s highest ranked woman Konta faces Puig, whose appearance in the last four at Eastbourne was her second grass-court semi-final of the summer.

They will follow Stan Wawrinka and Taylor Fritz on Court One.

• Day Two: Order of play

More British interest

In all there are seven British players in action on day two.

Wildcard Katie Swan, 17, will hope to upset Hungarian Timea Babos, Heather Watson takes on Germany’s Annika Beck (around 17:00 BST), Tara Moore plays Belgian Alison van Uytvanck, and British men’s number two Aljaz Bedene faces French seventh seed Richard Gasquet (11:30 BST).

Away from the home interest, Swiss fourth seed Stan Wawrinka plays American 18-year-old Taylor Fritz, while Australian 15th seed Nick Kyrgios faces a fascinating contest against 37-year-old Czech Radek Stepanek.

In the women’s draw, third seed Agnieszka Radwanska plays Ukraine’s Kateryna Kozlova and two-time former champion Petra Kvitova faces Romanian Sorana Cirstea.

Big names survive (so far)

Qualifier Willis stunned world number 54 Ricardas Berankis, to become the lowest-ranked player to reach round two since 1998, where he will earn £50,000, having won £220 all year.

Willis, 25, faces seven-time champion Federer, who beat Guido Pella.

Dan Evans overcame Jan-Lennard Struff in four sets and Britain is guaranteed three men in round two as Murray faces Broady.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic – seeking a calendar Grand Slam having already won the Australian and French Open titles this year – produced 21 unforced errors but was in no mood for an upset as he overcame Britain’s James Ward in straight sets on Centre Court.

The Serb has not lost at a Grand Slam since his defeat by Wawrinka in last year’s French Open final, a run of 29 matches.

South African Kevin Anderson, seeded 20, and Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber, seeded 21, were the best-ranked players to go out on day one.

There were also wins for David Ferrer, Marin Cilic and David Goffin in Djokovic’s half of the draw, while sixth seed Milos Ranoic served 27 aces to advance in straight sets.

Fifth seed Kei Nishikori faced a 142mph serve – the fastest of day one – from Australian Sam Groth but won through 6-4 6-3 7-5.

Another Williams record

French Open champion Garbine Muguruza provided an early show of grit on day one as she faced a tough test against Italy’s Camila Giorgi before progressing 6-2 5-7 6-4.

The number two seed is in the same half of the draw as five-time champion Venus Williams, who equalled Amy Frazier’s record of appearing in 71 Grand Slams as she overcame Croatia’s Donna Vekic in straight sets.

Williams, 36, has not won a Grand Slam singles title since 2008 – in which time her sister Serena has secured 13.

The 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic was the first notable scalp in the ladies’ draw, citing an injured wrist after defeat by 21-year-old qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova, who hit 19 winners.

Germany’s Sabine Lisicki, a finalist in 2013, blasted nine aces – including three in a 52-second opening game – to beat Poland’s Magda Linette.

BBC Sport – Tennis

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I hope Liam Broady is really pumped and excited for our first-round match at Wimbledon on Tuesday, because these are the moments you play for.

I obviously hope that I win the match but I know Liam pretty well and this is a big opportunity for him to go out there, give it a go and show everybody what he’s got.

You want to be playing on the big courts against the best players, in front of a big crowd, and there’s no pressure on him, so I’m expecting him to play good tennis.

And Liam won’t be the only one who’s nervous – before any of the Slams I feel the tension, and as the tournament goes on it calms down a little bit each day.

This will be my 11th Wimbledon and I would say it feels different to when I first played. Then there was no expectation and winning the first match was a good, positive start. Now, if I don’t win the first match it’s a disaster!

But I do feel good right now, I’m happy with the way I’m playing and practising and, yes, I’m ready.

‘I think the Brits can spring surprises’

With 15 British players involved in the singles competitions at Wimbledon this year, and the recent success in doubles for my brother Jamie and Dom Inglot, it does feel like there’s a bit of a feelgood factor around British tennis at the moment.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not perfect, but this tournament is a big chance for some of them to make their mark and you just hope they do themselves justice, because it’s tough working your way up through the rankings.

I played a lot of Futures tournaments, below the main tour, when I was 15, 16, 17 years old, and then you come to somewhere like Wimbledon, in front of a huge crowd with a great atmosphere, and the next week you go back to playing the Futures where there can be 10 or 15 people watching.

It’s a totally different feeling, a different atmosphere, and I think you need to take motivation from matches like these when you’re back in the smaller events and say “that’s where I want to be”.

Playing at this level, being around the top players, practising with them before the event, you learn huge amounts from that. More than you will from playing any Futures event in my opinion.

So you want them to enjoy the week but also perform, otherwise it feels like a wasted opportunity.

Hopefully everyone will enjoy the experience but fight as hard as they can for every single point, and I think there will be a few surprise performances this year from the British players.

‘I’m more grown up, more mature’

It’s three years since I last played at Wimbledon with Ivan Lendl on my coaching team, and I think we’ve both changed in that time.

I’m more grown up, more mature. I’m married and have a family now. Ivan’s done more coaching with junior players and I’m sure that affects the way he sees things a bit too.

There’s a huge difference between working with a player at the top of the game and then teenagers that you’re trying to develop at a much slower rate. I’m sure that’s altered the way that Ivan approaches his coaching.

We’ve certainly had an excellent week of practice since Queen’s Club, which was a great way for Ivan to return, and it honestly hasn’t felt strange having him back as part of the team again.

As the number two seed, we’ve known all week that I would play my opening match at Wimbledon on Tuesday, and that gives us consistency in terms of the schedule, as I know I’ll play every two days.

However, that only helps if I get the job done – if I have long matches like I had at the start of the French Open, then having a couple of days off over the middle weekend can help with recovery a little bit.

My goal is definitely to try to avoid having those matches, which will hopefully set up another special couple of weeks.

Andy Murray was talking to BBC Sport’s Piers Newbery.

BBC Sport – Tennis

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Slovak 12th seed Dominika Cibulkova overcame Karolina Pliskova and some windy on-court conditions to win Eastbourne’s Aegon International.

The 27-year-old, who is 19th seed at Wimbledon, won 7-5 6-3 to secure her first grass-court title.

Pliskova’s serve was a less potent weapon than when she hit 12 aces in her semi-final defeat of Johanna Konta.

Instead, Cibulkova’s focus and movement proved vital as she saw off six break-back points late in the second set.

“I said when I arrived that Martina Navratilova has won it 11 times – it would be good to win it once,” she told BBC Sport.

“This is my best week on grass. I was playing really well. The conditions were very hard.”

Both players struggled early on as the wind swirled around Devonshire Park, resulting in six breaks of serve in the opening eight games.

However Pliskova’s failure as she served to take the first set to a tie-break at 6-5 down was decisive.

The Czech, who won in Nottingham as part of an impressive preparation for Wimbledon, was broken again in the fourth game of the second and, despite mounting serious pressure on the Cibulkova serve, could not repair the damage.