Dan Evans

wolf · Tennis legend

Dan Evans

indiana · Tennis legend

I think the only real athletics ranking system, other than simply best overall times / distances, is the Diamind League series of meetings for elite athletes with a points system based on where you place at each meeting and leading to a final meeting late in the season. The Olympics plays no part in that.

I think for just about any Olympics sport the Olympics stands apart as a kind of special world championships.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
I think the only real athletics ranking system, other than simply best overall times / distances, is the Diamind League series of meetings for elite athletes with a points system based on where you place at each meeting and leading to a final meeting late in the season. The Olympics plays no part in that.

I think for just about any Olympics sport the Olympics stands apart as a kind of special world championships.

Not quite correct! Athletics does have a formal ranking system that was introduced over last year and will be used for qualification for Olympics and World Champs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Athletics_Rankings

The Olympics counts towards the rankings as well and is top weighted alongside world championships. So in tennis that would be like it being given Grand slam weighting.

Clearly in athletics it is actually the pinnacle whereas in tennis it isnt although I'd say in 2012 and 2016 it certainly gained a lot of extra credibility. I'm not sure it needs ranking points though as that sort of belittles it . It should stand alone on it's own weight and players take part for pride and national commitment. A gold medal should be worth having for gold medal status.

Dan's decision is therefore personal and should be respected if he holds to it, I think it's a shame though and hed enjoy it.

indiana · Tennis legend

Thanks Jon, interesting

I did say "I think". I quite often think wrong.

wolf · Tennis legend

Not sure by saying "athlete" CD meant someone that competed in athletics, could be any sport.

christ · Futures qualifying

In athletics (running and jumping and throwing) the "points" are largely real-world things, like inches and seconds (or fractions thereof). Athletics is mostly human against nature, and the fact that several humans are having the battle at the same time is only of passing interest.

ROSAMUND · Futures level

Players have different playing priorities which they are entitled.to.Dan rules out the Olympics whereas for Jo Konta she has prioritised the Olympics over the Fed Cup. I recall she said the Rio Olympics was one of her greatest expreriences. Olympics only come once every 4years and most players never get there anyway. Look at the number of US female players who because of the US having so many current top players will never get to the Olympicr

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

I am supportive of Dan, I think given his upbringing and relative age, and his recent past, maximising his points and ranking is an understandable priority. Tokyo isnt just the week, it will impact both sides with travel etc, so 3 or 4 weeks would be disrupted possibly. One commentator said that the two events it directly clashes with (Atlanta and Los Cabos I think) would be weakened and as such players like Dan would see them as real opportunities for decent points, money and maybe a title.

BUT, the other side is that Dan won't get the chance for an Olympics again, I would think, and I think he would really regret not having experienced it. I dont know when the cut off for entries is, maybe the answer is to really crack on over the next month or three and get points and money galore, and then feel more free to give the Olympics a go!

ROSAMUND · Futures level

This is a bye gone era but for some reason or other and she was qualified to do so in both 1988 and 1992 but Jo Durie chose not to go to the Olympics. Unlike Dan Evans who got some comment in the papers no comment or criticism was ever made about Jo Durie's reasons for not playing. And it can't have been the travel because the 1992 Olympics were held in Barcelona.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

ROSAMUND wrote:
This is a bye gone era but for some reason or other and she was qualified to do so in both 1988 and 1992 but Jo Durie chose not to go to the Olympics. Unlike Dan Evans who got some comment in the papers no comment or criticism was ever made about Jo Durie's reasons for not playing. And it can't have been the travel because the 1992 Olympics were held in Barcelona.

I think back then tennis in the Olympics was still a fledgling thing and, if I am correct, in 1988 it was just an exhibition sport ie no official medals. 1992 it got serious for the first time but LOTS of players missed it. It was on clay, hardly Jo Durie's strongest surface and one good reason not too play. But lots of other top players didnt take part - Marc Rosset won the mens singles if I recall and hardly any big names went deep into the event. 1996 was when tennis first got more serious at Atlanta when Agassi won it.

Robin · Lower Club Player

Fully agree with Dan missing the Olympics, this year and next is his peak earning years. He's earnt $2.5mil over 14 years, 800k last year. That's before all the considerable expenses and tax, so doubt he has much in the way of savings right now. I'd say he needs a hefty bank balance within 2 years as he may have to live off the interest for the rest of his life.

ROSAMUND · Futures level

JonH comes home wrote:
ROSAMUND wrote:
This is a bye gone era but for some reason or other and she was qualified to do so in both 1988 and 1992 but Jo Durie chose not to go to the Olympics. Unlike Dan Evans who got some comment in the papers no comment or criticism was ever made about Jo Durie's reasons for not playing. And it can't have been the travel because the 1992 Olympics were held in Barcelona.
I think back then tennis in the Olympics was still a fledgling thing and, if I am correct, in 1988 it was just an exhibition sport ie no official medals. 1992 it got serious for the first time but LOTS of players missed it. It was on clay, hardly Jo Durie's strongest surface and one good reason not too play. But lots of other top players didnt take part - Marc Rosset won the mens singles if I recall and hardly any big names went deep into the event. 1996 was when tennis first got more serious at Atlanta when Agassi won it.

In 1988 tennis became an official Olympic sport. You might remember Steffi Graf won the gold medal and completed the Golden Slam, a feat that is yet to be repeated and may never happen again.I think at the Seoul Olympics tennis was played on hard courts. Jo Durie's strongest surface may not have been clay but she was once a semi finalist in Paris. Most of the women have taken the Olympics seriously with the likes of Graf, Capriati, Davenport, Venus Williams, Henin and Serena Williams winning the singles Gold Medal.

ROSAMUND · Futures level

It is interesting to read in the last couple of weeks the different attitude to the Olympics and team events of our 2 highest ranked singles players. Johanna Konta wants to play in the Olympics but is giving the Fed Cup a miss this year. Even when asked if short of match practice she would now consider playing in the Fed Cup she said no. Maybe her knee problem etc. had some bearing on this. If we did happen to make the Fed Cup final in Budapest I wonder if Jo would wish she had played. On the other hand Dan Evans says he thinks everyone should represent their country for the team events. He's not sure about going to the Olympics. The Olympics offers no ranking points or prize money but it is an event that occupies just a fortnight every 4 years. At the end of the day the two of them are free to do what suits them best.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Dan is 3rd or 4th alt in Dubai doubles paired with krajinovic

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Interestingly, tennis abstract rated evos win in Dubai qf as his career best performance, top elo rating.

He is up to 23rd on their elo ratings now, kyle is 24th.

tennisabstract.com/reports/atp_elo_ratings.html