Is it possible that Great Britain has already found its upcoming tennis star after the departure of Andy Murray from professional tennis? It seems while Murray hung his boots at the Olympics, it was an opportunity for his men’s doubles partner Dan Evans to grab eyeballs.
Evans took part in the men’s doubles event at the Olympics 2024 alongside the 3-time Grand Slam champion and one of the greatest players ever. At the same time, his stellar performances only made him more popular among British fans as he walked toe-to-toe with the legend and played a huge role in helping them remain competitive at the moment.
Since the Olympics are not going to impact the rankings of the players, Evans had a chance to skip the tournament and rather prepare for the upcoming hard court season. He could have headed to defend his title at the ongoing Washington Open in the United States, which would have helped him prepare more for the upcoming US Open.
But he agreed to Murray’s request to support him in his last professional tennis tournament. While this gesture displays the kind of respect Evans has for his country’s greatest tennis player, his performance on the court displayed that he can be the next big thing for Great Britain in tennis.
At the same time, considering that the Olympics didn’t provide much financial gains for him, the 34-year-old still chose his country over money and decided to represent it on the global stage.
This display of patriotism won the hearts of fans even outside of Great Britain on social media. Evans is receiving applause for helping Murray have a respectable send off, even if they didn’t win a medal.
A tennis reporter tweeted on Evans, lauding him for taking up the pressure of playing alongside the 2-time Wimbledon champion in what was his last tournament.
Interestingly, he also mentioned that Evans will fall out of the top 170 of the ATP world rankings in the men’s singles category because he will lose the 500 points that he won in Washington in 2023.
Wanted to give a shout out to Dan Evans
He’ll lose all the 500 points earned last year in Washington and he’ll be ranked outside of the Top 170 next week losing more than 110 ranking spots
Playing at the Olympics with such big pressure because a shot you may miss can determine… pic.twitter.com/zAWLoKp7PL
— Mario Boccardi (@marioboc17) July 30, 2024
On Thursday, Murray walked out on the court in what turned out to be his final outing on a tennis court. However, the two couldn’t ensure their third consecutive victory and lost to the American pair of Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz.
But even then, Evans can take a lot of heart from the event and come out a much stronger and better player. While the likes of Jack Draper and Cam Norrie are currently vying for the British No.1 tag in men’s tennis, Evans is aiming for a revival and other tournaments in the North American swing might give him a new lease of life in the sport.
Can he be the next quintessential sporting hero for Great Britain? He has a long way to go but time will tell. For the moment, he has gained a lot of popularity off court, which could make him a marketer’s delight at the very least to begin with.
