Just last week, the news of Dan Evans’ drugs ban rocked the world of tennis, but particularly British tennis. In recent years Evans had played a big part and was one of the stars in Great Britain’s rise from the lowest tier of Davis Cup into the World Group, and then later playing an integral role in winning the Davis Cup in 2015.
Kyle Edmund’s improvement on the ATP tour was very much down to the experiences he had in Davis Cup and the players that he had around him, including World No. 1 Andy Murray. Players like Murray have shown Edmund the way and helped Edmund commit to the tour and to his career from a young age.
The news of Dan Evans’ suspension has been talked about thoroughly with a lot of the players this week in Eastbourne, but many were interested as to how Edmund would react when questioned about the situation. The British No. 2’s response was telling in itself: “No I haven’t spoken to him. I don’t think anyone has spoken to him, to be honest. Yeah, just unfortunate, really. Just a bit of a downer to see sort of news like that.”
Edmund was lost for words at some moments in his press conference when asked about Evans, even saying that: “I don’t really know what to say.”
Then Edmund began to open up about his views on Evans and the circumstances: “You know, no need to sit here and say he shouldn’t have done it or he’s a bad person. You know he knows himself what he’s done. You know, at the end of the day it’s his decision. It’s his career, it’s not my career. I don’t even need to say what’s happened.”
The softly-spoken Edmund hailed Evans for his contribution to Davis Cup and praised him for the sort of her character he is around the other British players. Edmund reiterated: “Yeah, that’s the thing. He’s just really good. I was speaking to someone the other day that if he came in right now, we’d probably be laughing at him, you know just because of his character. You know, he’s a funny guy and he’s easy to get along with. He just has another side to him that really just like to enjoy himself. Like I said, he’s just taken it too far this time.
He continued: “I know all the British guys on the Davis Cup team always really like him.”
But with Evans out of Davis Cup contention, his downfall is another player’s opportunity to shine and Edmund did shed a bit of light on the future of the British Davis Cup team. Evans is a miss, but he’s not irreplaceable: “The other side of it is it maybe give somebody else an opportunity, someone like Norrie, Cameron. Obviously Jay Clarke has been a hitter. I guess the positives are looking at there might be an opportunity. But the other side of it is Dan is an experienced Davis Cup player, so you know, it will be basically less options.”
Edmund’s insight into the drugs ban of a player he knows well is interesting to hear, but now all eyes are firmly on World No. 1 Andy Murray, who has been very outspoken on professional tennis players that fail a drug test. Will Murray’s opinion remain the same or will he back Evans’ potential return like he’s done in the past with the man who made the fourth round of the Australian Open this year?
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