Dan Evans opens up on mental approach ahead of Carlos Alcaraz showdown
Dan Evans has opened up on how he will approach his showdown with Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open, as he admitted he had lost faith in his abilities after a miserable grass court season this summer.
The British number two is through to the third round at Flushing Meadows for the sixth time in his career after a four-set win over Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
His ‘reward’ is a match-up with 20-year-old Spaniard Alcaraz, who picked up his first grand slam title in New York last year and added the Wimbledon crown earlier this summer.
Evans, seeded 26, said: “It’s a little annoying to have him in the top eight of the draw but it is what it is.
“It will be a good match. I am really looking forward to it and will play aggressively.
“It’s a very difficult draw. He will obviously be the overwhelming favourite but it’s a good opportunity to play a very good tennis player on a big stage. That is why you play tennis.
“I don’t think about what ranking people are, I genuinely don’t. To put it frankly, they do what we all do when we get out of bed in the morning.
“They are very good at their sport, but they still get nervous. They just deal with it better than we do. That has helped me when I play the better players.
“Alcaraz is an unbelievable player, but there is no point in me going out there thinking; he is No 1 in the world, you have no right to be here.
“If I do that and I get into a position where I need to win a big point, I will have made myself nervous.
“I won’t be thinking he’s No 1 in the world and I can’t win this match. I’m thinking I need to get into a good position and give myself a chance to win.
“He (Alcaraz) is a very nice guy, very polite and a great ambassador for tennis. He also shows his emotions and is not a robot. I think that is important.”
Evans admitted he was considering taking a break from tennis after a miserable grass court season, with his former throughout 2023 underwhelming for a player who has been a fixture in the top 30 of the ATP rankings over the last few years.
“Break points down or break point up, I have converted a hell of a lot of those this summer and I didn’t have that on the grass, which was frustrating,” said Evans.
“It felt like I was chasing it all the time on the grass courts, but I just needed to stick to my game and stop worrying about winning and losing. That really helped me on my way here.
“I needed to stop worrying about what was going to happen at the end of the point and think about what I needed to do at the start.
“After Wimbledon, I took some time off, but I felt like I had a starting point again.
“When the lights go off at night, you are thinking about it when you are not playing well. Restless nights are normal for sports people. You want to be left alone and that’s where you earn your corn.”
Alcaraz has won both of their previous two meetings in straight sets, but Evans boasts a better record on the golf course after the pair played a few holes at Wimbledon.
“Of course, his golf is much better than mine, that’s for sure,” said Alcaraz. “We played a little bit before Wimbledon. We had such a great time at the course.”
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