Andy Murray likes to journey with a full entourage. Dan Evans is in Australia along with his long-suffering coach Mark Hilton and Joe, an previous pal from Solihull who now works in Sydney as a bricklayer.
But Evans and Murray grew to become the primary British male duo to make the third spherical of the Australian Open since Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski 15 years in the past.
Evans has assured becoming a member of Murray inside the highest 50, courtesy of an impressive win over former US Open champion Marin Cilic in a day-nighter at Melbourne Park.
Dan Evans has progressed to the third spherical of the Australian Open by defeating Marin Cilic
Evans will now face Bernard Tomic within the subsequent spherical of the event
'We do not know what his restrict is,' wrote Murray in his BBC column yesterday. 'If he retains doing what he is doing, who is aware of the place he might find yourself? It is thrilling to see how good he's going to be. He is a really gifted participant.'
But for many of his profession Evans has inhabited a special world to Murray, battling his fun-loving instincts at occasions and preventing his manner up by way of the obscure decrease reaches of the tour.
It has not been sufficient to achieve the popularity of cricketer Kevin Pietersen, who earlier this week declined his request for a selfie within the metropolis's Crown On line casino.
Nor was it sufficient a couple of years in the past to achieve the respect of John Tomic, father of Bernard, who he'll now face within the final 32 of the season's first Grand Slam.
HOW EVANS HIT THE HEADLINES IN A £13 T-SHIRT
Dan Evans beat Marin Cilic on the Australian Open and he did it in a fundamental t-shirt that's accessible for simply £12.90 on-line
- Nike determined to drop British No Three from their sponsorship roster
- Evans bought 18 t-shirts, which can be found within the UK for £12.90, from garments firm Uniqlo for $18 (AUD) final week
...However don't be concerned, Dan, the corporate who makes them claims the design ensures they're 'nice for sports activities!'
Uniqlo say the t-shirt is 'nice for sport or leisure' of their product description
Evans celebrates successful the second set of the match to stage issues up in opposition to Cilic
On the 2012 Miami Open, father Tomic deemed Evans not certified sufficient to practise along with his son on the event.
The Brummie took nice pleasure when, 18 months later, he defeated Tomic Jnr within the second spherical of the US Open.
'I am not going to trouble saying something about that once more,' mentioned the British No Three. 'He confronted me about that. We'll go away it at that.'
Evans additionally beat Kei Nishikori in New York that yr, 2013, giving an early glimpse of his potential. Since then he has been by way of ups and downs, typically scuffling with the dedication required to compete on the elite stage.
Lower than two years in the past, struggling a sore knee, he was fined for failing to show up for his first spherical at a $10,000 Futures occasion on the Wirral. He admitted that motivational struggles resurfaced after the 2016 US Open, the place he compelled a match level in opposition to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka.
Evans had a serious top drawback in opposition to Cilic however nonetheless overcame his Croatian opponent
Reminiscences of that contest started to seep in when he missed his first two match factors in opposition to the Cilic serve at 5-Three.
'Sure, at 40-30, final sport, final match level, I did not wish to go down the opposite finish, have to sit down down and serve for it,' mentioned Evans.
The 26-year-old took to the courtroom carrying cut price garments he purchased himself after Nike ended his sponsorship deal on the finish of final yr.
Final weekend he purchased his personal shorts plus 18 shirts from Melbourne's Uniqlo retailer, costing £12.30 every.
'They don't seem to be the very best quality,' admitted Evans. 'I am simply out of contract with Nike. They did not provide me one other one. I went to the shop and acquired a load of garments the opposite day, plain garments.
'I bought about 18 shirts. I went again this morning to purchase some extra. I solely wore one shirt at this time so I am good until Friday.'
Cilic hit greater than 50 unforced errors earlier than the final set and is now out of the Australian Open
It helped his confidence that Evans got here into the Australian Open off the again of reaching his first ATP closing on the Sydney Worldwide final weekend.
He has additionally banked the requisite quantity of labor underneath the watchful eye of Hilton, who's among the many burgeoning group of British coaches quietly contributing to this upswing within the nation's tennis fortunes. Evans fortunately admits he doesn't have the identical monastic dedication of Murray. Davis Cup captain Leon Smith as soon as joked that they may should electronically tag him within the evenings.
Hilton, supported by Smith, has discovered a approach to keep his cost's urge for food for the sport.
'With him it is extra simply preserving me on the courtroom every day,' mentioned Evans of his mentor. 'The tip of final yr was a fairly good take a look at for Hilts. I wasn't the very best on the finish of final yr. He was simply urging me to remain centered. We're fairly shut.
'I respect what he is bought to say. That is a giant factor for me, no matter he says, that is gospel to me.'
Evans's sport is pretty old skool, marked out by a sublime single-handed backhand and a fragile slice. He has a traditional serve that's excellent for one in every of solely 5ft 9in. His hand-eye coordination is outstanding, and it must be.
The 6ft 6in Cilic congratulates the 5ft 9in Evans on the internet after the match in Melbourne
He was too good for Cilic, who got here in susceptible after a late end to the season and mentioned later he was nonetheless 'emotionally empty' after ending on the dropping facet within the Davis Cup closing for Croatia.
Evans began in dozy style however started to chip his manner again in, keep within the rallies and extract copious unforced errors from his opponent. He's additionally a pure athlete and his footwork held up a lot better than the world No 7. They traded breaks within the fourth set however Evans bought Four-2 forward and didn't blink.
Now he faces Tomic, a mercurial expertise who has had related issues dealing with the grind of the fashionable tour. In current weeks he has been scorned within the Australian media for having to go on a weight-reduction plan after consuming an excessive amount of within the shut season.
After two top-10 wins in every week (he beat Dominic Thiem in Sydney) the person within the £12 shirt has a fair likelihood of progressing.
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