Last 16 World Championships Copenhagen 2014

http://www.rte.ie/sport/other-sport/2014/0827/639687-evans-makes-16-at-world-badminton-championships/

Radio interview 98FM Dublin.

Hey,

I did a radio interview this morning for the very popular 98FM station in Dublin. The program is called "Now thats what i call sport" and the host is Johnny Lyons. I have met Johnny quite a few times over the past number of years and he has always been fantastic to me. Very supportive and very interested in how I'm getting on. He is also always straight on to me after i have had a good result to show his support and that really means a lot.

You can have a listen by following this link

http://www.98fm.com/player/podcasts/Now_Thats_What_I_Call_Sport/98FM_Now_Thats_What_I_Call_Sport/25019/0/scott_evans_on_badminton_world_championships

Thanks

WINNER Brazil Grand Prix :-)

Hey,

Sorry its a few days late but didn't have one second to write my feelings down after the final because of all the messages of support i received. I absolutely couldn't believe the amount of messages on my phone, Facebook, twitter, email i received.. it was overwhelming!!

Well what can i say.. i won the final in 5 sets against Dieter Domke. Dieter is a very good player so i knew this would be a tough challenge from the beginning. It started out a lot worse than i expected losing the 1st and 2nd set. I wasn't following my tactic 100%. The rallies i played where i followed the tactic i was winning but i couldn't seem to continue doing it point after point. So i lost the 1st and 2nd set and was starting to think it was going to be a very quick final if i didn't get my act together. I worked really hard between the points to keep reminding myself what my tactic was right and that if i could hold it for each rally i had a good chance to win. I also felt good on court so i had no reason not to go for it.

The 3rd set was better.. still struggling a bit with the tactic but slowly i could feel it was getting better and better. I got lucky at the end of the 3rd where we played a long rally and i played a net shot and Dieter came forward to tried to make a net kill, the shuttle hit the net as i was kind of going backwards i somehow hit the shuttle up and dieter had turned around and shouted as he didn't realise i had hit the shuttle.. and as he turned around he tried to hit it again and missed and that put me in front 10 - 6 instead of 9-7. I think this was a crucial point and it gave me more confidence and my game was gradually coming together very nicely. Towards the end of the match i felt very good and had total control of my tactic and i think Dieter found it hard towards the end to win points and he was more relying on me to make mistakes.

This was my 3rd international victory and my first Grand Prix title and it is something i am extremely happy about. I had a good tournament and learned a lot about my game which i will use to continue improving.

I mention tactic a lot in this blog and i have really realised this week that this part of my game has improved a lot over the last 2 years. I can still improve more on it but it is definitely going in the right direction and thats something i am very happy about.

I would like to really say a big thank you to everyone who sent me a message over the last few days. I don't think any of you will ever really understand how much it means to me and i really appreciate it. It makes these moments so much more enjoyable.

Thank you all again and i hope we will have more successful times like this in the future.

Scott

Into the final in Brazil

Hey,

A good win today against number 1 seed Henri Hurskainen. I played very well and had my tactics right from the beginning. Something that i have struggled with in the past was having a tactic and sticking to it all the way through but today i showed that i have improved in that area.

I won the first set 11-7 which was quite comfortable. The 2nd set i was leading 6-1 and had a bit of a bad patch but managed to get myself back and take the set 11-10.

The 3rd set was a bit the same with me leading and Henri catching up and again i closed out the set and the match at 11-10.

Really happy again to win today and looking forward to another challenge tomorrow where i will face 2nd seed Dieter Domke from Germany.

Thanks

Scott

RTE Sport update

Hey,

Some more media for Irish badminton.

Thanks RTE.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/other-sport/2014/0808/636053-irish-players-reach-brazil-semi-finals/

5 set win and into the semi final

Hey,

Today was a tough match against Petr who played very well. I won 11-8 8-11 11-10 6-11 11-6 in 57minutes.

The match was very up and down from me. I struggled to get any kind of length on my lifts and played too slow to the net which gave Petr an easy tactic of holding the net and getting the lift. I really found it hard to get the feeling on court and my movement wasn't great either. In saying that i still managed to get the win which i am of course very happy about.


Tomorrow i will play my first semi final in a grand prix tournament and i am up against the number 1 seed from Sweden Henri Hurskainen. This will be a tough match but i am ready for the challenge.

Thanks

Scott

Into the quarter final in Brazil

Hey,

Another good, tricky game this morning. I played Bjorn Seguin from USA. I won 11-10 11-9 11-8. First 2 sets where quite close until it was 8-8 then in both the 1st and 2nd i went 10-8 up. Great to close the first 2 sets in those situations. The 3rd i played better with more speed and more quality and was leading 9-4 but let him back in and suddenly it was 9-8. Again i closed out the set and the match which is a great feeling. This was a tougher match than yesterday and i am expecting another tough match again tomorrow against Petr Koukal who i recently played in US Open in the 3rd round.


Scott

2nd round win here in Brazil

Hey,

Good news from Brazil. I won this morning 11-4 11-5 11-5 against a Canadian guy. I saw him play while i was in Canada and he had a good tournament there so this could have been a bit tricky this morning but i was ready from 0-0 which is of course very important with this scoring system. I played very well and was in control for the 3 sets even after having a crazy morning getting to the hall.



The bus was due to pick me up this morning at 7 o clock and after waiting 45mins and still no sign i decided to get a taxi. The journey has been around 1 hour from our hotel to the hall so even at 745 this morning i had good time (i thought). I ended up arriving in the hall at 940 when my match was at 1030. Lucky i left early as the taxi driver got lost about 14 times.

Not to worry :-) i handled the situation well and was able to focus on my game.

Next up tomorrow is a guy from USA. Never played him before but i am sure it will be a good match.

Scott

Brazil Open GP

Hey,

Last day today before the tournament starts for me tomorrow. I have had some great weeks training after Canada and US Open and before traveling to Brazil. 

Brazil Open will be played with a new scoring system which is being tested out by BWF at the moment. Best of 5 sets to 11. At 10-10 it's just 1 point. Will be very interesting to play with this scoring system. 

You can see the matches for tomorrow by clicking this link

http://tournamentsoftware.com/sport/matches.aspx?id=49C4127A-741E-479D-9F68-F3F359D263C2&d=20140806

Scott

First day in Rio

Hey,

A very good day yesterday to start what will hopefully be a good week. I trained for 2 hours yesterday with Henri from Sweden in the main hall. The main hall has only 3 courts which is a bit strange for a Grand Prix tournament. We had a very good session and I felt very good even after the long trip on Saturday. 

After coming back from training and time for a quick shower and change of clothes Henri, his coach Jonas and myself went out for late lunch/dinner. We walked along Copacabana beach until we found a nice restaurant.

Here is a few pictures of the beach and Henri and myself at dinner. 

The lad on the right is having a great time catching some sun :-)

Yesterday evening Sam, Chloe and Josh arrived so it's nice to have the other Irish players here. 

Today we will be training from 13-15 and then I will go to the gym later this evening for a short session.

Scott

Rio De Janeiro

Hey,

I arrived late last night after a long days traveling. I left my apartment in Copenhagen at 4:40 Saturday morning. First flight was at 6 to Amsterdam. I had a 4 hour wait in Amsterdam and then 11 hour flight to Rio. The flight went very well and with a good seat it means everything. I flew with KLM which is not an airline I would fly with regularly but yesterday's flight went very well. 

Got to the hotel at 2015 last night and had a quick dinner and went to bed. I have just woken up from a good 10 hour sleep which is a great way to start the trip. Another positive is waking up to this view of the Copacabana beach.

The picture is taken while I sit on my bed.

It isn't that busy at the moment but still plenty of people running on the beach which is great to see. 

Hope your all having a nice weekend.

Scott 

Mobile blogging

Going to start doing some mobile blogging while I am away traveling to tournaments. 

Leaving tomorrow or Brazil. Never been so it will be a nice experience and I am feeling good physically and ready for a good tournament.

Going to miss this man all next week...

Some badminton in the irish media

Hey,

After a good tournament in US Open couple of weeks ago its always nice to see the irish media reporting on badminton.

Here are 2 links you can have a look at.

Irish times - http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/scott-evans-progresses-at-us-open-badminton-grand-prix-1.1861911

RTE - http://www.rte.ie/sport/other-sport/2014/0712/630326-badminton-us-open/

Thanks

Scott

Badminton England League - NBL

Hey,

Another quick update to let everyone know the new league will be starting this year in England. Finally they have been able to set this up. Its been a long process but it will be such a big step in the right direction for Badminton in England and also Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Badminton England have made an agreement with Sky Sports to show 1 match every round live which will  be absolutely great for the sport.

Follow the results and updates here:

http://nblbadminton.co.uk

Scott

Back to blogging

Hey,

Its been a while since i last blogged. I can't even remember the last blog i posted but a quick review of my last 2 seasons.

Right after competing at London Olympics i moved my training base from Denmark to England. I had been in Denmark for 6 years and felt it was a good time to move and make a change. It was a big decision and not one that was easy for me. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to join the GB squad and train with them daily in what i would call one of the best badminton centres in Europe and i would also say world wide. Everything that is needed for badminton is there right at your fingertips. I stayed in England (Milton Keynes) for 10 months which was the 12/13 season. I had a great season with some very good results. The highlight for me that seasons as winning Irish Open. That has always been a big goal for me to win my home tournament and to make it my first international win was also special. I followed that up pretty well with winning my next tournament after Irish Open which was Cyprus Open. Irish open was in December 2012 and Cyprus Open was in January 2013. I continued training in Milton Keynes till August that year and after playing the World Championships in China i decided to move back to Denmark. There was a few reasons for that decision. The main reason was because Kenneth the head coach in England was stopping in England and moving back to be mens singles coach in Denmark. I also got a great opportunity back in my club in Copenhagen to train with Peter Gade and i felt that Peter could really help me in many ways not only with my game but in other area's of badminton. I have been so lucky to have that opportunity and Peter is an incredible role model and to work with him daily and to see how he trains and does things on court and off court has been a huge learning experience for me. He addresses every possible detail to do with his game, badminton and how it can help him and I've learnt a lot from that.

So as of now i am in Copenhagen and working with Peter in my club. I will be playing for my club Gentofte next year in the danish league and possibly for a club in England in the new english league as well. This is not confirmed yet but i really hope it will work out. I think this is a big step for badminton not only in England but in Ireland as well as the matches will be shown live in Sky Sports.

Thanks for reading and sorry for absence :-)

Scott 

A new year, a new man

Well I am very glad that 2011 is over after having a tough year regarding badminton. I certainly think I had a bad year and I was glad to go into 2012. 1 of the major bad periods for me was in November when I received a black card in a quarterfinal match in Norway. I have never felt lower and more disappointed in myself before. After receiving that card I had quite a few days without much food and without much sleep. It took some time for me to put this thought towards the back of my head and try to push on with training and playing but I had a lot of problems when it came to my matches that the thought kept coming back to me. I spent many hours thinking of ways to deal with it and things I should do to change how I behave on court as something needed to change because in my eyes receiving a black card, there is something wrong going on. I was lucky enough to get a opportunity to meet with a highly rated mental coach which 1 of my best friends here in Denmark is using. I met him for the 1^st time on the 23^rd December. I had been told before this meeting that we would sit down and have a talk and after he would then decide if he thought it was right for me and him to work together. After 1 hour he said ok I think its enough for today as we spoke about quite a few things and he felt that 1 hour was enough for 1 day. Suddenly 2 hours after that we then ended our first meeting. Since that day I feel like I have changed in many ways. I am delighted to have met this guy and delighted that after our first meeting he said he would love to work with me. I had a great Christmas in Denmark with my girlfriend and her family and on the 26^th December I started my 15-day crazy physical program, which I loved every minute of. I had my first tournament last week in Estonia where I lost in the semifinal. I had to retire as I had hurt my wrist in my quarterfinal match, which got worse and worse the more I played. I came home on Sunday and had treatment the same day and Monday. It has been getting better and better each day so I am ready to leave for Sweden tomorrow to play Swedish Open. Today I also received the final decision from BWF that I would get a fine for the black card in Norway. I am of course very happy with that, as it could have been a lot worse. I am glad that BWF could see that even though the situation is not very good, it has been very positive for me as I have learnt so much from this experience and I feel like I go improve my badminton came in the long run. I would like to thank a lot of people who have stood by me even when I have made mistakes and when things haven’t been going so well. All you of out there know exactly who you are. I would like to thank Badminton Ireland for the constant support and also badminton Europe and BWF for there support.

Thanks

Scott

French Open and the last 3 weeks...

Well it has been 1 month since i wrote my last blog. A lot has been happening in the last month. I will start with French Open. Last year I lost first round of qualification to the Swedish number one Henri Hurskainen. This year I was straight into the main draw and I played Brice Leverdez from France. I have played Brice quite a few times as we have been training together quite a lot in the past. The last time Brice and I met was in Dutch Open…..

go to www.scottevansireland.com and read more :-)

thanks

scott

Funny Story from Holland….

Funny Story from Dutch Open…

On Wednesday evening after I came back from my late night match I decided to have a cold bath. I sometimes do it as I feel it helps my legs to recover. I got back to my room at 12 o clock Wednesday night and turned on the bath and switched the tap to as cold as it would go and went into the bedroom to stretch some more before getting into the bath. I was doing the same at Czech Open a couple of weeks ago and the bath there took forever to fill up so I didn’t really look at the water for a while because I had the feeling it would take ages. I then checked and it was half way over the overflow pipe so I ran into the bathroom and turned it off. I went back into my room to finish off my stretch and during the next 5minutes Sam came back and we just talked about the match a bit.. suddenly there was a huge bang on the door and me and Sam looked at each other and thought WHAAAT… I was actually without clothing at the time but still decided to go to the door and answer it as for some reason I had a feeling it was Jim at the door. I then opened the door and there was a tall, bold Dutch man standing at the door shouting “I NEED TO COME IN” “WHATS HAPPENING?!?” “IT IS RAINING IN THE ROOM BELOW YOU” and he tried to come into the room… I said wait wait wait.. I don’t have any clothes on.. so he said ok put some clothes on quickly I need to come in. So I ran and put something on and ran back to the door and let him in and he ran into the bathroom. Our overflow pipe was broken so when I let the water go half way over it all the water was running down the walls and down into the room below us instead of into the pipes. All outside our room in the main corridor was floor was soaking wet and it started coming into our room all along side the wall were the bath is so our floor was soaking. The room below us had rain for 15minutes J I stood talking to the guy about it and we started to laugh that someone in the room below had called saying “its raining, its raining in our room” haha!! He then put his hand into the bath to put the plug back in once the water was quite a bit lower than the overflow pipe and felt how cold the water was and turned to me and started laughing again… he said - your insane… what are you doing? That water is absolutely freezing!!! Are you out of your mind?! I then had to explain to him the reason for it..

J what a Wednesday night we had!!!

Dutch Open 2010

Dutch Open 2010

Hey,

I had a good week this week here in Holland. I have not played this tournament for a few years but the last time I played I lost in the 3^rd round to Eric Pang in 3 sets. I remembered the hall quite well and remembered that I liked to play there. That gave me a bit of confidence once I entered the hall on Tuesday evening to have a hit before playing my first match Wednesday mid-day. First up was Saber Afif from Holland. I have not…

go to www.scottevansireland.com and read more :-)

Thanks

Scott

Czech Open Final

Hey everyone,

Well last week was an interesting and exciting week. Czech Open was the first time in quite a few years where i have played singles and doubles in the same tournament. The reason for me playing doubles was because Tony is away in India and i thought it would be fun to play a tournament with Sam and i also thought it would take my mind of the singles a little bit and that it did!! First up in the singles was Ashley Moss from Australia. I have never played Ashley before and I watched him play the day before in the qualifying rounds. I beat Ashley 21 11 22 20. The 2nd set.....

Please visit www.scottevansireland.com to read more :-)

Thanks everyone.

Scott