Week 30 - Challenger ($50,000) - Lexington, KY, USA (Hard)

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

RE: Week 30 - Challenger ($50,000) - Lexington, KY, USA (Hard)

LouieG · County player

Love it! & yes the umpire was shouting

RJA · Hall of fame

murray_2k9 wrote:
Ward serving for the match now, brilliant. Does anyone else think this umpires voice is ridiculous though? Made the stream horrible to follow. I hope its a different person for Evos match.

It is bound to be a different umpire. Unfortunately the commentator might be the same.

Very good performance from Ward although Rochus was pretty poor.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Evo *3-1 up with a break - or to be more precise - with a hold.

Four games so far, three breaks and one hold.

RJA · Hall of fame

Can I just put on record how much I hate Nick Bollitierri

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

RJA wrote:
Can I just put on record how much I hate Nick Bollitierri

Something tells me, you just did wink

thejester · Satellite level

Evo seems to be playing so quickly here. Maybe needs to calm down a bit?

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Wardy's 2nd round opponent will be WC Mitchell Krueger WR 457

thejester · Satellite level

Evo goes down 4 and 3.
The commentator kept mentioning how he'd never seen anyone play so quick. No focus out there today from Dan, spent half the time looking at the match next door between Krueger and Reid. Odd performance really.

murray_2k9 · Challenger qualifying

Classic Evo match - couldnt be bothered to play it! Shame, Jaziri was ok but nothing special. Dan roke to level the second set at 3-3 and then got broken twice in a row to love and 15, including DF on match point and he looked pleased to be getting out of there. Weird and frustrating as always...Im glad I dont take my own career as casually as Dan, thats for sure.

RJA · Hall of fame

Beyond pathetic from Evans. Rushed through the match at ridiculous speed, served atrociously and no thought process at all. He is totally wasting his time at this level if he is going to approach matches like that.

steven · Tennis legend

Excellent win for James - no better way to avenge an 0 & 5 defeat earlier in the year than by only allowing Rochus 5 games himself

To those who were watching - could Dan have been ill (i.e. could that explain why he seemed happy to get off court)? I mean, what would be the point of going all that way then not caring about the match, it just doesn't make sense.

L32: Daniel Evans WR 248 lost to (8) Malek Jaziri (TUN) WR WR 174 (CH 69 in 2012) by 4 & 3
L32: James Ward WR 239 beat (2) Olivier Rochus (BEL) WR 148 (CH 24 in 2005) by 2 & 3 biggrin

L16: James Ward WR 239 v (WC) Mitchell Krueger (USA) WR 505 (junior CH 2 at the start of last year)

SMC1809 · All-time great

Yawn.

steven · Tennis legend

But why? confuse

I mean, there are lots of ways to waste a talent if you can't be bothered to put in the hard work - for example, giving up and doing something else and/or just having a go at events it is easy to get to - either of those things would (to a GB tennis fan, at least) be frustrating, but would to some extent make sense ... and there are plenty of British players who have done one or other of those two things over the years.

Taking the trouble to fly thousands of miles to somewhere you would rather not be and then not being bothered to try to make the most of it makes no sense at all. disbelief

korriban · Challenger level

Lots of things in Dan's career to date don't make much sense, but they HAVE happened. You are being logical, but I don't think that helps much on this subject!!

Following the DC, I read somewhere that his schedule for the remainder of the year had been mapped out and agreed with Leon Smith. In other words a publicly declared joint plan covering his tournaments, practice and training. Things seemed to start well (eg Sweden), but a couple of "events" have allegedly cropped up subsequently, and it's obvious (no Wimbledon WC) that he got in big trouble again for at least the first of them.

Since the LTA is paying for his travel and accommodation (plus much much more) and have gone out of their way to back him recently, if he chose not to go out to the USA I think that would spell the end of his relationship with them. You can't keep giving last chances to people. And they won't be prepared to have their time and trust wasted.

Maybe you are right about illness, Steven. But the comments suggest clearly that he wasn't trying, that he was rushing through the points, and basically going through the motions.....more like practice sets than live matchplay.

At least he's not boring!!!