ANDY’S STILL OUR No 1
AUSTRALIAN OPEN Dan swears Scot is top dog after his epic Oz win
DAN EVANS insists Andy Murray is still top dog in UK tennis – despite marking his ascent to British No.1 with a thrilling first-round win at the Australian Open.
A year after the limping Scot lost an emotional match on the opening day in Melbourne, Evans roared back from two sets down for the first time in his career to beat Mackenzie McDonald.
The English ace then celebrated the win by patting his stomach in jest after Tim Henman’s recent jibes about his weight.
Evans is playing as Britain’s top-ranked player for the first time at a Grand Slam while Murray, who pulled out with a pelvis injury, is down at world No.128 and is currently our No.4.
But Evans, who has no kit sponsor, said: “We all know who the British No.1 is and it is Andy Murray so there no title for me.
“He is the best player even at the minute when he is injured.
“Andy hasn’t been in touch with me. It’s probably not that easy for him watching this all over again.
“He probably has pretty bad memories from last year and is now missing it again. We hope he’s on court sooner rather than later.”
Evans turned the grey skies blue at Melbourne Park with foulmouthed frustration at his flat early play against the American.
After falling 5-1 down in the first set, he roared: “Get hold of it. Settle down. F ****** do something.”
And the world No.33 followed his advice by fighting back to beat McDonald 3-6 4-6 6-1 6-2 6-3 in three hours and 21 minutes.
“I was frustrated I wasn’t playing my game,” Evans said. “It felt good to let some out.
“When you are two sets down, you think you are going home. I was just happy to turn it around.”
Great Britain captain Henman told Evans he could “miss a few meals” at the recent ATP Cup.
But Evans responded with his greatest ever fightback – and a cheeky dig at another former British No.1. He said: “It was just a joke to the guys in the corner. I’m in good shape, no question.”
Evans will face Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka next with champion Novak Djokovic his potential third-round foe.