Dan Evans will take on Novak Djokovic in the second round at Wimbledon on Thursday, with the British tennis star having a chequered history with the world No. 1
British tennis sensation Dan Evans is gearing up for one of the most pivotal matches of his career this Thursday, as he prepares to go head-to-head with Novak Djokovic in a highly anticipated second-round showdown at Wimbledon. Evans breezed into the second round after a dominant 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 victory over compatriot Jay Clarke.
Meanwhile, seven-time SW19 victor Djokovic emerged victorious from a grueling four-set battle against Alexandre Muller, despite experiencing stomach issues, setting the stage for an epic encounter with Evans.
Evans and Djokovic have crossed paths on the court just once before during their extensive careers, with the British player unexpectedly besting Djokovic 6-4, 7-5 at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2021. That match sparked a flurry of captivating remarks from both athletes, with Evans even expressing that Djokovic had become a point of “annoyance” for him.
Furthermore, Evans has previously criticized the 24-time Grand Slam winner for his comments regarding the organization of tennis events amid the Covid-19 pandemic, adding extra tension to their upcoming clash at Wimbledon.
Reflecting on his surprising triumph over Djokovic in 2021, Evans candidly discussed the psychological tactics employed by the Serbian star, revealing how he managed to secure the win. “He kept me waiting at the start of the match in the changing rooms a little bit,” Evans recounted to Amazon Prime following his victory.
It was a little annoying, so I was ready to go from that – it got me a little extra fired up. He gave away some cheap ones today, which he never normally does. But I’m just really happy. My game plan was to try to bring him forward and have him hit the ball low in the court.
It was difficult to get to the net and I felt sometimes I was doing too much running. But I also thought I did a good job to get out of my service games. He had so many break points and didn’t take them, so I was a little lucky there.”
After his surprising loss, Djokovic described the match as “probably one of the worst matches and performances from my side I can recall in the last years.”