'I wasn't good enough' – Evans reflects on 'tough day' as he battles injuries in loss to De Minaur

Dan Evans set a US Open record with the longest victory in tournament history in the first round against Karen Khachanov but that remarkable win took its toll when the Brit bowed out on Saturday evening following a three sets to one defeat against Australia’s Alex de Minaur, 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-0 6-0.

Evans had been feeling evident discomfort throughout the match, including taking a medical timeout, but refused to retire hurt.

The match was a tight tussle early on, with Evans only narrowly dropping the first set and dominating the tiebreaker to take the second, but from that point on he was unable to really compete.

After the match, Evans was clearly disappointed.

He admitted as much in his post-match interview: “A bit of me is wounded of course. I fancied my chances against Demon [De Minaur], but it wasn’t to be.

“The draw was nice, and that’s what I’ve waited for, for a long time, to see something like that, but I wasn’t good enough. I’ll sleep well for probably the next four or five days and I’ll be over that pretty quick.

“It’s been an amazing week. I came to America with no expectations and a lot of doubt, and I left with a lot of clarity that I can still do it at the higher level, not quite the top level, but the higher level.”

Continuing with the press, Evans admitted that he had harboured concerns about his physical condition before he even stepped onto the court.

He said: “I knew I was in for a long evening. To beat Alex you have to be physically in good shape. I felt fine but my hip just seized up and became very problematic at the start of the third set. It was stiff going into the match. 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? You have to recover.”

Evans refused to blame his injury, underlining his point that his opponent had earned his victory.

He said: “He was the better player. It’s not always about tennis, your body has to be prepared and kudos to him. He played a great match.”

The 34-year-old veteran then explained that his physical struggles originated in his epic victory over Khachanov.

He said: “It’s all connected to the first day. My groin and my hip’s been sore ever since. It will be fine after a few days’ rest. A few beers will help it as well.”

Evans continued, explaining that he had never considered retiring from the match, even as he struggled to compete.

He said: “No. 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. “

Evans explained his perspective, stressing that Grand Slam tennis remains the pinnacle of the sport and should be treated as such.

He said: “I don’t think you should be pulling out of 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 you shake hands. And he actually said, ‘Thanks for staying out there, respect’.”

Ultimately, Evans said that his US Open experience had shown that he is far from a spent force.

He said: “This week’s brought a lot of good things. It’s not that I fell out of love with tennis, but it’s just given me a glimpse: I’m still pretty good, and that’s a nice feeling.”

His victorious opponent was equally magnanimous when he faced the press after the match.

He said: “I think the first thing I should show is a lot of respect to Dan. He’s the ultimate competitor. He could have easily pulled out, the body was obviously not feeling well but he stayed out there and tried his best so I really appreciated it.”

De Minaur will face Jordan Thompson in an all-Australian fourth round match next up, ensuring at least one Australian man will play in the fifth round of the tournament for the first time since Nick Kyrgios in 2022. Interestingly enough, Kyrgios lost that quarter-final to Khachanov.

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