Evans embraces the moment as Djokovic delivers ruthless lesson
"When you're 35, you've got more perspective than when you're 21," he said. "I wanted to win the match. I believed I could win the match. I felt confident going into the match. It's just such a hard task at hand, and that's it.
"I'm not going to say I enjoyed it or didn't enjoy it. I understand the occasion and what a moment it was for myself to go out there and experience everything today."
The veteran Briton, who beat Djokovic in the pair's only other meeting but is now ranked outside the top 150 in the world, acknowledged that he had been outclassed from the opening game. "I felt like I was always on the back foot," he said.
"I'd say, if I had to sum it up, it felt the tennis balls were back in my pocket very quickly and never stayed in there a long time."
Despite the lopsided scoreline, Evans embraced the magnitude of the occasion, particularly in the closing stages. "The last probably four or five games, I really soaked it up, and I did enjoy it, yeah," he reflected.
Evans praised Djokovic's tactical brilliance, noting how the seven-times Wimbledon champion served "like a big server" despite his modest 1.85-metre frame. "Today he served spots. I don't think he got over 130 (mph), but every serve was a spot," Evans observed.
With his ranking having slipped and his body feeling the toll of professional tennis, Evans faces an uncertain future.
"Waking up after playing matches is hard now," he admitted with characteristic honesty. "It's just not as easy as it used to be - without sounding Andy Murray-esque dramatic."
The Briton has not mapped out his schedule beyond potentially targeting U.S. Open qualifying, preferring to "take a bit of time" to assess his options. But regardless of what lies ahead, Evans felt grateful for one more Centre Court moment, especially with his father watching from the box.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
21 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Alcaraz searches for perfect serve at Wimbledon, Raducanu eyes Sabalenka shock
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in action against Oliver Tarvet of Britain at the Wimbledon Championships. LONDON - Carlos Alcaraz will step up his bid for a third successive Wimbledon title when the world No. 2 faces German underdog Jan-Lennard Struff on July 4. And Britain's Emma Raducanu will be aiming to add to the All England Club's spate of giant-killings against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. AFP Sport picks out three matches to watch in the third round on day five at the All England Club: Alcaraz works on service conundrum Carlos Alcaraz knows he must fine tune his serve to keep his Wimbledon title defence on course. The Spaniard has been unimpressed by his serve during wins over Fabio Fognini and Oliver Tarvet in the first and second round, respectively. After winning Wimbledon for the last two years, as well as taking the title in the warm-up event at Queen's Club in June, second seed Alcaraz knows better than most that a deadly delivery is the secret to success on grass. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Seller's stamp duty rates for private homes raised; holding period increased from 3 years to 4 Asia Japan urges evacuation of small island as 1,000 quakes hit region Singapore Multiple charges for man accused of damaging PAP campaign materials on GE2025 Polling Day Singapore Jail for man who recruited 2 Japanese women for prostitution at MBS Asia Indonesian rescuers widen search for missing after ferry sinks World Trump eyes simple tariff rates over complex talks, says letters will start going out on July 4 World Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending Bill wins congressional approval Business More Singapore residents met CPF Required Retirement Sum when they turned 55 in 2024 'I think here in Wimbledon, I'm struggling a little bit with the serve. I'm feeling really different between Queen's and here with the balls, with the speed,' the five-time Grand Slam champion said ahead of a Centre Court clash with German world No. 125 Struff. 'On grass the serve is probably the most important shot. At Queen's I started to serve unbelievable. But after the first round here, I left the court not happy at all with the serve. 'I'm going to pay much attention on the serve. Let's see if in the third round I'll be better.' Raducanu ready to rock Sabalenka Raducanu believes she can add to the growing list of Wimbledon upsets in her Centre Court blockbuster showdown with top seed Sabalenka. The British star produced one of her best performances at the All England Club to defeat former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the second round on July 2. Now Raducanu, who won the US Open as a teenager in 2021, is gearing up for her first Grand Slam meeting with a world No. 1. Although she is yet to hit top form at SW19 this year, Belarusian star Sabalenka is the only top-five seed still standing with Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini and Zheng Qinwen all out. Three-time major winner Sabalenka is chasing a maiden Wimbledon title, having missed the 2024 Championships because of a shoulder injury. Raducanu has endured a difficult time since her stunning breakthrough triumph in New York four years ago, but after back problems plagued her at the start of 2025, the world No. 40 is back in the groove. 'I think having won against Marketa, she's also a really top opponent, so that gives me confidence. I feel amazing,' the 22-year-old said. 'Of course, Aryna is number one in the world, she's been so dominant in the women's game. I know it's going to be a massive challenge.' Osaka bids for uncharted territory Japan's Naomi Osaka will try to reach the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time when she faces Russian world No. 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The 27-year-old's four main draw appearances at Wimbledon have ended in two third-round defeats and losses in the first and second round. Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion, but she has not won a major since 2021. Since that triumph at the Australian Open, she is on a dismal run of 11 successive Grand Slam appearances without reaching the fourth round. The former world No. 1, now down to 53rd in the WTA rankings, said: 'When you are young, you fear nothing, and that's one of the really cool things about it. 'But I don't know, with age fear kind of crept along and, I guess, paralysed me in a way. 'Now I'm kind of just getting over that and trying to spread my wings on grass. I think it's working and I'm moving pretty well.' AFP
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Cilic takes Agassi's tried and tested route to get back into winning form
LONDON : Catching a millionaire Grand Slam champion in action on the second-tier Challenger Circuit is a rare sight, especially since cheering fans and creature comforts are in short supply when compared to the glitz and glamour of the main ATP Tour events. Yet this is the world that Marin Cilic, who has amassed a fortune of almost $32 million in prize money alone, has been circulating in for most of this year after his ranking nosedived to outside the Top 1000 following knee surgery in 2023. With his ranking, which stood at 1092 last August, no longer high enough to gain entry into the ATP events, the Croatian opted to get back to basics at the Challenger level in order to obtain some much-needed match practice. It was a strategy that worked wonders for Andre Agassi way back in 1998 when he found himself in a tennis rut - and within a year the American had won two Grand Slam titles. But whereas Agassi was aged 28 at the time, with years of tennis still left in him, Cilic decided to go down the rough road to tennis redemption in his mid 30s. Having put in the hard graft to get his body back into shape after damage to the meniscus and cartilage made his knee balloon in size, the Croatian was not ready to give up on his career. On Thursday, all the pain and strain he endured to get back to top-level tennis paid off when he marked his Wimbledon comeback with a 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 win over British fourth seed Jack Draper in the second round. "Considering everything that happened in last two, three years. If even I look at situation where I was, how my knee was in February '23, lots of rehab, lots of unknowns. Even coming back, the knee wasn't good. What to do then? New surgery?" the 2014 U.S. Open champion explained after returning to the All England Club for the first time since 2021. "Then all the time there was this spark of desire and feeling that my level is still there. Let me give myself another opportunity. "Now last eight, nine months I'm playing pain-free and progressing nicely, which is great." During the course of 2025, Cilic had won back-to-back matches on the main tour only once. However, he has worked his way back up the rankings to break back into the top 100 thanks to winning two of the seven Challenger tournaments he has entered. He tried qualifying for the French Open but lost his final qualifier and then still secured a place in the main draw as a lucky loser only to lose in the first round. That disappointment quickly faded when he won the Nottingham Challenger tournament just a few weeks later, ensuring he arrived in London with some much-needed match practice on grass - a run that no doubt helped him to plot Draper's downfall on Thursday. "Last several weeks I've been playing really well. In Nottingham I played some great tennis. It was just layer after layer building up. Also feeling great in the training sessions, so I've got great confidence in my own self," said the 2017 Wimbledon runner-up. "These kind of matches, they challenge you to perform better because the opponent on the other side of the net is going to challenge you with his own game. But I'm aware that my level is very high. Can I go further? I feel I can." Draper summed up what it felt to be on the receiving end of an in-form Cilic. "I don't play many people on the tour that I feel like they completely bully me and take the racquet out of my hand," said the British number one. "I know it's a grass court. I'm not sure what his stats were but I'm sure he had an amazing match from the winners to unforced errors count."
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Djokovic easing into old routine as seeds hit back at Wimbledon
LONDON : Novak Djokovic showed signs that he is easing into the old routine at Wimbledon as the seven-times champion sauntered into the third round on Thursday while Barbora Krejcikova also made it through as her title defence continued. World number one Jannik Sinner also eased into round three as his pursuit of a first Wimbledon title gathered pace, the Italian thrashing Australia's Aleksandar Vukic 6-1 6-1 6-3. But Britain's big hope, fourth seed Jack Draper, ran in to an inspired Marin Cilic and joined the exodus of seeds from the men's draw which now totals 18 in the opening two rounds. Despite fervent home support on Court One Draper was out-gunned 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 by big-serving Croatian Cilic who produced the kind of tennis that took him to the 2017 final. "It's not the pressure, it's not the whatever. I just didn't play good enough today. I lost to a better player," said Draper, who is regarded as Britain's successor to two-time champion Andy Murray. "I came up short." This year's Championships have been littered with big names biting the dust early and while Draper's loss sent shockwaves around the grounds, day four provided some big statements from those fancied for deep runs on the lawns. Former women's champion Elena Rybakina arrived very much under the radar but has reached the third round for the loss of a mere seven games, the 11th seed destroying Greece's Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-1 in 62 minutes. Five-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, surprisingly yet to go past the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, is another who will quietly fancy her chances and the Pole looked impressive as she hit back from a set down to beat Caty McNally 5-7 6-2 6-1. Djokovic struggled past Alexandre Muller on Tuesday when he was hampered by stomach issues. Two days later, however, he was at his ruthlessly efficient best in a 6-3 6-2 6-0 thrashing of popular Briton Dan Evans on Centre Court. The 38-year-old is bidding to equal Roger Federer's men's record eight Wimbledon titles and claim an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam crown and, while the talk is of top seed Sinner and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz disputing the final, the Serbian should not be dismissed. He has reached the last six Wimbledon finals and clearly believes he will still be around on July 13. "Technically, tactically I knew exactly what I needed to do and I executed perfectly," Djokovic said after his 99th match win at Wimbledon since making his debut in 2005. "Sometimes you have these kind of days, where everything goes your way, everything flows and it's good to be in the shoes and holding a racket on a day like this." BUSINESSLIKE DISPLAY Czech Krejcikova, a surprise winner last year, found herself out on Court 2 where the 17th seed produced a typically businesslike display as she battled past American Caroline Dolehide, winning 6-4 3-6 6-2. She will face a much more dangerous American next in the form of Emma Navarro after the 10th seed crushed Veronika Kudermetova 6-1 6-2. With four of the top five women's seeds already gone, the draw looks wide open for players such as Russian seventh seed Mirra Andreeva who beat Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-1 7-6(4). Swiatek will also be fancying her chances as she prepares for a third round against American Danielle Collins. Asked to explain early defeats for so many fancied players such as French Open winner Coco Gauff and last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini, Poland's Swiatek kept it simple. "Sometimes we will lose early because the schedule is pretty crazy. You can't win everything," she said. More than half of the 32 men's seeds have perished before the third round, with 13 failing to clear the first hurdle, but those remaining reasserted themselves on Thursday. Australia's 11th seed Alex de Minaur beat Arthur Cazaux 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-0, while powerful Czech teenager Jakub Mensik, seeded 15, beat American Marcos Giron 6-4 3-6 6-4 7-6(4) to underline his credentials as a dangerous floater. Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, playing in his 59th successive Grand Slam, may no longer be considered a genuine title threat but, more than a decade since reaching his sole Wimbledon semi-final, he showed he is still a class act as the 19th seed beat tricky Frenchman Corentin Moutet 7-5 4-6 7-5 7-5. There were still casualties though. American 13th seed Tommy Paul needed treatment on a foot injury on his way to a 1-6 7-5 6-4 7-5 defeat by Austria's 165th-ranked Sebastian Ofner.
