Dan Evans calls Novak Djokovic win "one to savor", says he was fired up by the Serb making him wait in the changing room
Dan Evans caused one of the biggest upsets of the 2021 season by beating Novak Djokovic in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday. The 33-ranked Evans gave Djokovic all sorts of fits with his backhand slice, and ended up winning 6-4, 7-5 to advance to the quarterfinals.
After the match Evans claimed that getting a win over the World No. 1 is something he'll cherish for a long time, and something he'll tell his grandkids about.
"I am just happy with how it went and it will be one to savor maybe after the tournament, to tell the kids and grandkids that you beat the World No. 1," Evans said in his post-match interview. It is a nice one."
The Brit acknowledged that the win felt a little surreal to him, and that he "couldn't quite believe" he managed to get the ball over the net on match point.
"It hasn't sunk in yet," Evans said. "I couldn’t quite believe the last ball went over the net. It nearly didn't. I was pleased, regardless, with how I was playing coming into the match. I felt good."
Dan Evans also revealed that Novak Djokovic made him wait before the start of the match in the changing room, something that got him "fired up" for the match.
"He kept me waiting at the start of the match in the changing room. It was a little annoying. That got me a little extra fired up," Evans said.
Dan Evans was a break down early in the second set, and at that point many believed Novak Djokovic had figured out a winning formula. But the Brit fought back incredibly well, and he claimed later that it it was "really pleasing" to come through the tough situations in the match.
"You can never be confident coming into such a big match like that against Novak Djokovic," Evans said. "It is clearly a big win and I am delighted that I got through, especially being a break down and [having had] little difficulties in the first set. It was really pleasing and I am delighted."
"You have got to believe you can win" - Dan Evans on how he approached the match against Novak Djokovic
This is the first top 5 win of Dan Evans' career, and it comes just a day after the 30-year-old beat Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz. Evans admitted that he got nervous in the closing stages of the encounter against Novak Djokovic, and attributed his win to his self-belief.
"The biggest thing is, you have got to believe you can win. I can walk on saying it, but you have really got to believe it," Evans said. "Of course, I doubted myself in the match. Serving it out is not easy. You have got all sorts [of things] running through your head."
Dan Evans will now take on David Goffin in the first Masters 1000 quarterfinal of his career. The Brit will also be looking to make a significant leap in the ATP rankings; he had reached a career-high of World No. 26 in February, only to fall out of the top 30 the next month.
Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, will now continue his clay season at next week's Serbia Open, in his hometown of Belgrade. The World No. 1 is also scheduled to play in Madrid and Rome in the lead-up to Roland Garros.