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The Independent
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
No ‘miracle pills' required as flawless Novak Djokovic lays down Wimbledon title marker
Sometimes Novak Djokovic doesn't need a miracle to win at Wimbledon. There's enough inspiration, divine or otherwise, from his racket to easily swat away those who have the misfortune to cross his path. That was the situation Dan Evans found himself in on Centre Court as he watched the winners, all 46 of them, fly past him. Fresh off a confidence-boosting straight-sets win over fellow Brit Jay Clarke in round one, Evans simply couldn't compete in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 defeat that took just one hour and 47 minutes. Forty-eight hours after Djokovic's four-set victory over Alexandre Muller that was harder than he would have liked it to be, even requiring some 'miracle pills' to get through a stomach issue, this was exactly what the doctor ordered – no tablets required. If the 38-year-old's body is more fragile and unreliable than it used to be, then saving as many bullets as possible for the potential Draper, Sinner and Alcaraz-shaped tests to come is a useful strategy in the quest for that record-breaking 25th grand slam. What's also a useful strategy is playing almost flawless tennis. He gave the impression of a man easily shifting through the gears for the challenges ahead, with consistently sublime shot-making while exuding calm control. 'I knew exactly what I needed to do and I executed it perfectly,' admitted a quietly content Djokovic in his post-match interview. 'Sometimes you have these kinds of days where everything goes your way.' Evans meanwhile – roared on by a raucous crowd on Centre, desperate for further British success – fought valiantly enough, especially early on as he denied Djokovic on break point after break point in the first set, but the gulf in class was ultimately too great to overcome. His unbeaten record against the Serbian star (thanks to winning their lone previous meeting, an unlikely clay-court triumph at the 2021 Monte Carlo Masters…) predictably meant little and he'll now go back to grinding away on the Challenger Tour in pursuit of a US Open spot as his opponent prepares for a third-round tussle with countryman Miomir Kecmanovic and dreams of tennis history. The semi-regular approving taps of the racket from Djokovic when an Evans shot was just too good for him didn't appear to be a deliberate psychological ploy, and couldn't quite be called patronising, but it's likely they would have become a shade more infrequent had the 35-year-old Brit been able to really push the all-time great close. Instead, he battled and showed plenty of glimpses of the quality that took him to a career-high 21 in the world just two summers ago – certainly enough to suggest that a rise from his current position languishing outside the world's top 150 is imminent – but ultimately to little avail. If Evans wanted to make an early statement that he could hang with the seven-time champion, a Djokovic hold to love to kick things off was hardly ideal. But he at least earned the smallest of bragging rights by banging down back-to-back clean aces to begin his first service game after his Serbian foe had merely followed an opening ace with an unreturned serve. Knowing he would be outgunned in ferocity of groundstroke, the Brit tried to make life difficult with clever changes of pace, resorting especially to his patented sliced backhand, well-placed serves and frequent darts to the net. Four break points were saved in the fourth game of the match for a gutsy hold before Evans dug himself out of a 0-40 hole next time around to again stave off the Djokovic swarm for a few more minutes. But the elastic eventually snapped at 4-3. A 15-40 fightback was rendered moot when Djokovic, at the 10th time of asking, finally converted a break point as a forehand drifted long. The subsequent hold was routine and in roughly three-quarters of an hours, a 6-3 first-set triumph was secured. The next two sets combined only took a little longer than that. The fact the 24-time grand slam winner had lost just three points on serve, and in fact only needed to resort to a second serve on three occasions throughout the entire first set, told the story of the dominance. He kicked on from there. An early break was secured in the third game of the second set, another added when the man from Birmingham next served and a 6-2 win was wrapped up before the match time reached an hour and 20 minutes. Incredibly, his serve was getting better – 100 per cent of first serves that landed in the box during the second set ended with Djokovic winning the point, while he lost just two of five second serves. And the third set turned into a rout as Evans wilted, unable to stop the relentless onslaught, failing to win a single game as his opponent positively sprinted through the finish line. This was vintage Novak. A 99th win on the Wimbledon grass and a promise that it might just take divine intervention to stop him making history at the All England Club this year.
South Wales Argus
02-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Dan Evans believes aged wisdom key to Wimbledon success
The 35-year-old defeated fellow Brit Jay Clarke 6-1 7-5 6-2 to seal a first win in SW19 for four years, continuing his strong run of form on grass after fine wins at Queen's and Eastbourne in the run-up to Wimbledon. Having turned professional in 2006 and competed at Wimbledon more times than he can count, Evans believes his 19 years' worth of know-how stand him in good stead. "I've said all along, I would love one more," said Evans. "I have some fourth rounds, but my goal was to make the quarters of a Grand Slam. You don't always reach your goals, but I still believe I have a shot. I have experience. There's been matches in Grand Slams where I've not put my mentality on the court or been nervous. It happens to everybody and that could happen on Thursday. "I imagine it won't. I'm looking forward to the occasion. I haven't had the chance to play in any sort of arena like that for a long time. I've been playing qualifiers of the Grand Slams and challenger events. Of course I'm lucky to have been inside the top 50 for x amount of years before that, and I got the experience to play on the big courts. "The difference between your first time out, you don't have the experience about how to prepare, how the day is going to be. I know how it is going to be. I know how I prepare whereas the younger guys or girls, they don't have that experience." Evans was awarded a wild card in the run-up to Wimbledon, where he was one of 23 Brits to compete in the opening round in men's and women's. And having proven that faith justified, Evans has called on his colleagues to leave no stone unturned in doing the same. He added: "Twenty-three players in both is an amazing accomplishment for the LTA. It really shows how they're backing their players. Let's be honest, some of the rankings are not of a wild card in the previous years. "It's amazing that our men and women are getting backed so well but they have to go away now and pay back that faith. Hopefully they think, I want to be here main draw next year than I've got to ask again. "That's what the wild card is for, to use the prize money, to invest it in yourself, not to sit back and rest on our laurels, which has happened in previous years. We're in a great spot at the minute." For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website
The Independent
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Dan Evans ready for a crack at Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon second round
Dan Evans believes he has earned one more shot at claiming a statement Wimbledon win after securing a second-round showdown with Novak Djokovic. Evans won the battle of Britain against fellow wild card Jay Clarke 6-1 7-5 6-2 to claim his first victory in SW19 since 2021. His reward is a second career meeting with 24-time grand slam champion Djokovic – four years after he won their first in Monte Carlo. 'I think when they do the stats, it has to be over three matches to have a 100 per cent record, so we'll say I have a decent record,' smiled Evans. 'But five sets are a lot different to three sets, albeit it was a big tournament.' Now 35, Evans says he is too long in the tooth to be overawed by another of the oldest swingers in town, 38-year-old Djokovic. 'I mean, there is no better place to do it than here,' he added. 'I've said all along, I would love one more. 'I had some fourth rounds, but my goal was to make the quarters of a grand slam. You don't always reach your goals, but I still believe I have a shot. 'This is his best surface, I imagine. It's going to be a tough match. But when I play the top guys, I don't change much about myself. It's not about them, it's about me. We're both competing for the same goal. 'I've got a lot of respect for Novak. He's a great champion. He's done wonders for the game. He's done pretty much everything in the game. 'But it's also my chance to win the match. I have to be competitive, I have to play my game, I have to be myself. I can't go into my shell and have too much respect. 'Of course I'm lucky I've been inside the top 50 for X amount of years before that, and I got the experience to play on the big courts. 'Yeah, I am a wild card, but I don't feel like I'm a wild card playing Novak. I still feel my level's really good.' Evans has endured a tough year on the court having slipped down the rankings to outside the top 150. A calf injury curtailed his season last year and he spoke emotionally earlier in the week about starting to wonder whether the hard work he puts in every day is still worth it. 'Yeah, it's not that easy,' he added. 'The body obviously is getting older, as am I. 'I try the best with the team I have to be able to practice each day. It's not like this is the end product when you come to the tournament. 'You can't miss sessions because you just won't be good enough to win at these tournaments. You have to do the day in, day out stuff. 'Of course it gets harder. Things change a little, as well, in your training. But the last two, three months I've done a good job of it.'
South Wales Guardian
01-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Dan Evans believes aged wisdom key to Wimbledon success
The 35-year-old defeated fellow Brit Jay Clarke 6-1 7-5 6-2 to seal a first win in SW19 for four years, continuing his strong run of form on grass after fine wins at Queen's and Eastbourne in the run-up to Wimbledon. Having turned professional in 2006 and competed at Wimbledon more times than he can count, Evans believes his 19 years' worth of know-how stand him in good stead. "I've said all along, I would love one more," said Evans. "I have some fourth rounds, but my goal was to make the quarters of a Grand Slam. You don't always reach your goals, but I still believe I have a shot. I have experience. There's been matches in Grand Slams where I've not put my mentality on the court or been nervous. It happens to everybody and that could happen on Thursday. "I imagine it won't. I'm looking forward to the occasion. I haven't had the chance to play in any sort of arena like that for a long time. I've been playing qualifiers of the Grand Slams and challenger events. Of course I'm lucky to have been inside the top 50 for x amount of years before that, and I got the experience to play on the big courts. "The difference between your first time out, you don't have the experience about how to prepare, how the day is going to be. I know how it is going to be. I know how I prepare whereas the younger guys or girls, they don't have that experience." Evans was awarded a wild card in the run-up to Wimbledon, where he was one of 23 Brits to compete in the opening round in men's and women's. And having proven that faith justified, Evans has called on his colleagues to leave no stone unturned in doing the same. He added: "Twenty-three players in both is an amazing accomplishment for the LTA. It really shows how they're backing their players. Let's be honest, some of the rankings are not of a wild card in the previous years. "It's amazing that our men and women are getting backed so well but they have to go away now and pay back that faith. Hopefully they think, I want to be here main draw next year than I've got to ask again. "That's what the wild card is for, to use the prize money, to invest it in yourself, not to sit back and rest on our laurels, which has happened in previous years. We're in a great spot at the minute." For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website
The Sun
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
‘You don't notice anything' – Brit Wimbledon stars caught in furious dispute on live TV over dark arts
JUBILANT Dan Evans sailed into the second round for the first time in four years... but not without a row with his Brit opponent. The Brummie had to give himself a second-set talking too after a troublesome start but still saw off compatriot Jay Clarke 6-1 7-5 6-2 in straight sets. 4 4 His opponent had a few grumbles for the umpire over Evans taking too long between points - though he was the only person on Court 12 to really take issue. Clarke, the British No6, hit out at the umpire saying: "You don't notice anything." Evans should have the chance to put his 100 per cent record against seven-time champ Novak Djokovic on the line in the second round - with the Serb playing this evening. The 35-year-old broke down in tears ahead of the Championships having been on a wild ride since last year's Olympics in Paris, dropping down to the Challenger Tour and playing tournaments across three continents to build up some ranking points. After being handed a wildcard entry to the Championships, a show court meeting with Djokovic would be quite the reward. Evans said: "It was amazing. "It has been tough but I played really well today and I got through the other side. "I just wanted to win to get a shot at Novak. "I had so many friends here today to just enjoy today, whatever happened, happened. "Today meant everything. That is one of the top, top wins in my career. "I would love to be on Centre, that is all I ask. To get a chance to play Novak, it would be really nice to play Novak at the latter end of his career and I'd give it a good go. "Because it is here it is really special to be here in England against the greatest of all time." 4
