Evans evens the score in Novak shock
NOVAK DJOKOVIC may think twice about keeping an opponent waiting again after admitting that Dan Evans ‘dismantled’ his game during an extraordinary upset at the Monte Carlo Open.
Having inflicted a first defeat of the season on the world’s top player, Evans revealed that he had been given extra motivation by the Serbian great delaying their entry to the court.
What transpired was one of the most unpredictable results of this strange period in the game’s history as the 30-year-old British No1 won 6-4, 7-5 against an opponent who began as the 1-25 favourite.
Prior to this week, Evans had only won two main ATP Tour matches on clay, both of them in 2017. Now he is in the last eight of the prestigious curtain-raiser for the dirtball season, where he faces Belgium’s David Goffin.
Evans said: ‘He kept me waiting at the start of the match in the changing room. It was a little bit annoying so I was ready to go, it got me a little bit extra fired up.’
Evans returned the compliment by opting for a late change of shorts when out on the deserted arena, earning himself a time violation before the start.
Thereafter he forced error after error from the Australian Open champion.
Conditions were something of a leveller, on a cold and windy Riviera afternoon.
Yet the determining factor, aside from any mind games, was Evans’ ability to mix up his game. Using his delicate backhand slice, he repeatedly fed the ball low and slow to the Djokovic forehand, forcing him to generate his own pace. He also executed the drop shot to great effect.
‘I just felt awful on the court overall,’ said Djokovic. ‘Tough to play in these kind of conditions against a guy like Evans who makes you move. He’s very unpredictable with his shots. He dismantled my game.
‘He’s a really nice player to watch, not a great player to play against. Lots of talent.’