Every week, LastWordOnTennis will highlight a player to keep an eye on as tournaments are played around the world. This week’s selection is Dan Evans.
The Miami Open has finally returned.
After last year’s event was cancelled, many feared the same would happen in 2021. Organizers rallied, however, and with a change in venue and restricted attendance, the event tentatively begins this week.
The Miami Open has a Round of 128, so there were plenty of players to choose from. Dan Evans might therefore sound like an odd pick, but there are plenty of reasons why the current World #29 is our pick for this week’s player to watch.
Evans is in better form than his ranking suggests
Reaching the Top 30 is a decent accomplishment for Dan Evans. On a hard court, however, Evans is playing above his ranking.
Elo ratings give players credit for who they defeat rather than the round or tournament in which they win their matches. Evans’ current hard-court Elo rating is #20 in the world, better than players such as Felix Auger-Aliassime, Roberto Bautista Agut, David Goffin, Fabio Fognini, Grigor Dimitrov, and Diego Schwartzman, all of whom are ranked higher than him.
At the start of February, Evans defeated Borna Coric, in-form Jeremy Chardy, and Felix Auger-Aliassime back-to-back to claim his first career title at the Murray River Open. He won the title without dropping a set.
Finally, he has even been impressive in his losses. His last two defeats were incredibly close against quality players. Aslan Karatsev defeated him in Dubai in a tight three-setter and went on to win the title, whilst Roger Federer defeated him in three close sets in Doha.
Expecting Evans to continue playing above his ranking is hardly out of the question.
Evans could make a deep run
Evans gets a bye through to the second round, where he will come up against either Frances Tiafoe or Stefano Travaglia. Both men are dangerous on their day but Evans could win with an average performance against either of them.
His third-round match would likely be against Dusan Lajovic. Again, although Lajovic is ranked higher than the Brit, Evans should be the favorite to come through this match.
There will be a proper challenge if Evans survives until the fourth round with Daniil Medvedev, the top seed, likely to be the man lying in wait. Evans genuinely has the game to hassle the Russian, so an upset isn’t too far-fetched a possibility, though it will be tough.
The ability to wow the crowd
Dan Evans is one of the most unpredictable players on tour and can often leave the viewer amazed.
He often plays some outstanding volleys when the viewer is least expecting it. For example, against Federer, Dan Evans serve and volleyed down match point.
He barely misses a ball, largely due to his solid slice backhand, which is arguably among the best five on tour. To keep his opponent on their toes, however, he can also rip a one-hander at the perfect opportunity.
Unpredictability could not be mentioned without acknowledging that Evans can be a bit unpredictable without a racket in his hands. He recently argued with his opponents in a French Open doubles match, has claimed doubles players don’t work to “make it in singles” and has been banned from the tour for a year after testing positive for cocaine. All of this behavior arguably fuels a fiery on-court personality so, if you like to be entertained, Dan Evans is the man to watch.
This Week’s Player To Watch
Dan Evans recent form and his decent seeding should give him a fairly comfortable start to the tournament. Whenever he bows out of the tournament, however, he is sure to keep viewers excited in any of his matches with his forecourt mastery and his salacious slices.
Be sure to catch the Brit in his first-round match against the winner of Frances Tiafoe and Stefano Travaglia this Thursday.
Main Photo from Getty.
