EVANS’ CLAY CHARGE ENDED BY TSITSIPAS
British No.1 falls at semis hurdle
AWEEK that Dan Evans will never forget came to an end with a comprehensive defeat by world No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals of the Monte-carlo
Masters.
Evans was facing a former Masters finalist for the fifth successive match, having beaten Dusan
Lajovic, Hubert Hurkacz, world No.1 Novak
Djokovic and David Goffin to reach the last four at this level for the first time.
But, unlike his previous opponents,tsitsipas had no problem coping with the variety in Evans’ game and he eased to a 6-2 6-1 victory.
It was a third heavy defeat for the British No.1 against his Greek opponent, who piled constant pressure on his serve.
It has nevertheless been a superb week for the 30-yearold, who will equal his career-high ranking of 26 on Monday, having proved to himself and the rest of the tennis world that he can be a threat to the best on clay.
Evans said: “It’s been a good week but it’s been pretty long and mentally pretty draining.
“Obviously you can’t say it’s bad to beat the world
No.1.
“Today was difficult.
Obviously it doesn’t help the way he plays. He’s very aggressive. So there’s still work to be done. I can’t be negative about today. Just have to park that and go again really.
“It’s been a great week.
I won’t ever forget beating
Novak.”
There have been plenty of complaints from male players in particular about the restrictions of life in a constant Covid bubble, but it has suited Evans.
“There’s been a lot of issues in the world, and it’s been nice to be able to forget about it,” he said.
“Granted, we’re in a bubble. But it’s been a pretty easy workplace to play and to live in.
“I’ve just been really enjoying it.wearing a mask is not such a big thing.we’ve not really had lockdowns. We’ve been lucky in a sense.” Evans has a packed clay-court schedule, continuing this week in Barcelona, and he hopes his success on the red stuff can also help him on his favoured grass.
He said: “I prepared well. I gave myself the best chance.that’s what I’ll do for the rest of the season.
“I think on the clay, I could take some of that onto the grass. Maybe at the Grand Slams, on the hard, I’ve been putting a bit too much pressure on myself, looking to really want to win.
“Rather than, when I come out on the clay, I’m more focused on my game and trying to get that right, then the result comes.
“There’s things to maybe take on to the grass and the hard from this week definitely.”
Former British
No.1 Kyle
Edmund has revealed he has had surgery on the knee injury that has wrecked his year so far. He said: “I had a small procedure on my knee. Recovery is going well and I hope to be back on court as soon as possible.”