Dan Evans suffered a defeat to Alex de Minaur at the US Open in 2024, and the Brit showed his full commitment to the sport with a brutal and foul-mouthed comment
Dan Evans’ dedication to competing at the pinnacle of tennis was on full display during his US Open defeat to Alex de Minaur. Last year, the British star faced off against the Aussie in the third round but was hampered by illness and a hip issue during his four-set loss.
Evans, 35, had already set a record for the longest match in US Open history in the first round, triumphing over Karen Khachanov after a gruelling five hours and 35 minutes of play.
Prior to his match against De Minaur, the Birmingham-born player was compelled to take medication and received treatment during the third set. Evans – who this year suffered a first-round qualifying defeat for the US Open against Lloyd Harris on Monday – had a rough time in the latter stages of the clash with De Minaur, as he lost the last 12 games with the final score reading 6-3 6-7 6-0 6-0.
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Despite being jeered by some sections of the crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium, retirement from the match wasn’t a feasible option for Evans. Having only retired six times in 894 matches, at the time, the Brit confessed that prematurely ending a match – particularly at a Grand Slam – is something he believes fellow professionals shouldn’t do.
“I wasn’t tempted to stop,” he said after the match. “I think it is about respect. I was relatively OK in the third set. It was pretty bemusing that they started to boo me when the irony was I was staying out there for them. And of course I respect Alex. I don’t think you should be pulling out in a Grand Slam.
“You finish the match. That’s just my way. And that’s how I was brought up. You stay till the end and shake hands. And he actually said, ‘Thanks for staying out there, respect.’ And that’s not what I am doing it for. But people come into and pay and some are happy and some are not.
“After the second set, it reads: 6-0 6-0. But that’s by the by, for me, I couldn’t, couldn’t give a s*** what if says of six love, six love. I stayed out there to fight until the last ball. It was a tough day, I was a bit sick as well before the match and then obviously my hip.
“Not a lot went right and that’s grand slam tennis, isn’t it? Physically I was fine, but my hip just just seized up and became very problematic at the start of the third set. It wasn’t ideal. And you could probably see I was sweating so much, which is very unlike me.
“It was just a tough match. It’s all connected to the first day. You know, it was my groin and my hips been been sore ever since, and it will be fine after a few days rest, yeah, few, few beers will help it as well.”
Despite his struggles during the encounter, Evans declined to offer any excuse for his loss, choosing instead to heap praise on De Minaur for his display, reports the Express. Evans said: “No, no excuses. I felt fine on the court. Kudos to him. He played great tennis. He didn’t, much, and I thought the first two sets were high level.”
Reflecting on his twilight years in professional tennis, Evans expressed his appreciation for playing at Flushing Meadows. “It’s just an amazing place to play tennis and I took it in,” he shared.
“I looked around and I loved what I was seeing, to be playing in front of those people. It’s not going to last forever. We all know that.
“And it’s probably the first time I’ve probably looked around and seen people smiling and shouting and hollering at me. And it was all three matches – they have been great.”
