The life of Dan Evans could be mistaken for a movie given his roller coaster perform both on and off of the court.
The 26-year-old player from Birmingham has always been a massive talent on the tour, but in the past he has failed to live up to those expectations. During the 2013 US Open, he stunned Kei Nishikori to reach the third round at the tournament. The run elevated the Brit inside the top-150 for the first time in his career. Unfortunately Evans’ momentum came to a dramatic halt for the next two years following a knee injury combined with motivation issues resulted in him spiralling down the rankings to outside the top-500.
Despite the fall in the rankings, Evans’ talent never fadeed away. Playing in the Davis Cup semifinals last year, many were shocked to see him included in the tie. He lost both of his matches against Australia, but one of his conquerors, Bernard Tomic, spoke highly about the Birmingham-based player.
“He (Evans) played so well with my game, I got very tired when he was moving me. I was very physically tired after the third set”. Tomic said shortly after his Davis Cup win.
“‘I don’t know how he isn’t in the top 100’.
This year Evans has finally been able to live-up to his expectations, breaking the top-90 for the first time in his career. The Brit has won two Challenger titles and recently reached the quarter-finals at the Nottingham Open.
The blossoming 2016 for the Brit has received a further boost at Wimbledon following his back-to-back wins over Jan-Lennard Struff and Alexandr Dolgopolov. Evans delighted many with his second round performance against 30th seed Dolgopolov, firing 13 aces and 39 winners. The run at SW19 has set him up with a third round clash against seven-time grand slam champion Roger Federer.
“He’s not a normal guy obviously, but he’s another tennis player who I have to prepare myself to just play another match,” Evans said about Federer.
Evans’ chances of causing one of the biggest shocks in Wimbledon history are certainly low. Nevertheless, the world No.91 is not going to treat the match any different to one he would play on the Challenger tour.
“Against him, it would be stupid to say it’s not a special occasion to play him. It will be on a big court. It’s going to be a great, great experience. Hopefully an even better one than most people think.” The world No.91 said.
“It’s not a day out for me. It’s a chance. It’s a good opportunity. It’s not a Lord Mayor’s Show. I’m taking it seriously.”
It isn’t just Evans that believes he could be a tough test for one of the greatest players to ever play on the grass. World No.2 Andy Murray has predicted great things for the future in Evans’ career and his match against Federer is an opportunity to demonstrate this.
“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.” Murray wrote in an article for the BBC.
“Dan certainly won’t be the favourite against Roger but he can cause him problems and make it interesting,” he later added.
A lot of the focus has been placed on Federer, but for once, it is his opponent that will be the main talking point. After periods of inconsistency, motivational issues and injury woes, Evans is finally showing the tennis that many predicted for him up to ten years ago. Facing Federer won’t be easy, but Evans will by no means be a walk in the park. Finally the wild child of British tennis is turning into a top tennis player.
