Week 35 - US Open (men's main draw - Dan) - hard

Julia Carrot · All-time great

RE: Week 35 - US Open (men's main draw ex-AM) - hard

wolf · Tennis legend

Robredo won 7-6(6) 6-1 4-6 7-5.

Harsh but I think Dan should have won that match.

Unbelievable level though from him the whole tournament and this whole trip has been nothing but a revelation for him.

SMC1809 · All-time great

A fantastic effort from Dan. A clear demonstration that he can hold his own, in terms of gameplay, at this level. Just needs to experience it more often. Seems clear though that now he's tasted a bit of it, he's keen for more.

daisy · County player

Sad for Dan because I'm fairly certain if he'd taken it into a 5th set he'd have won it.

He's done himself proud this week and I hope he will really work a lot harder and take his career to a new level on a permanent basis.

andyjmr · Intermediate Club Player

Dag and indeed nabit. Evans vs Fed will just have to wait

steven · Tennis legend

Week 35 - US Open (men's main draw - Dan) - hard

RJA · Hall of fame

Dan has 331 points YTD and would need around 220 more to make the top 100. That won't be easy but it is doable and if that his aim then he must be planning on playing a few tournaments.

Post Davis Cup he probably has two choices, either head back to the states for the 3 challengers in California (Napa, Sacremento, Tiburon) or stay in Europe and play Orleans, Mons and Rennes. The European option has the potential for greater reward but will have stronger fields and he would have to qualifier for the first two. Entry deadline for Napa and Orleans in tomorrow so we might soon have a good idea as to his plans.

After that he has could look at playing ATP qualifying for a couple of weeks (Vienna, Stockholm or Moscow the first week; Valencia or Basel the second). Then there is another run of 3 challengers in the US or various options in Europe for those weeks which takes him up to mid November and practically the end of the season. Obviously I wouldn't expect him to play 8 weeks straight but 5 or 6 events in those 8 weeks would seem reasonable and if he plays well will give him a shot of making the top 100. Finally after the season is done in Europe and the States there are a couple of small challengers w/c 18/11 in Japan and Russia. Ideally he would want his season to be done by then but if he was a few points short of an Aussie Open MD spot he might be tempted.

At very least he should be able to end the season top 135, would need about 80 points, and ensure that he is seeded for Aussie Open qualifying.

-- Edited by RJA on Sunday 1st of September 2013 10:53:35 AM

Jack Buxton · Club Coach

Wow that was a rollercoaster, sounds like another fantastic effort from Dan.

Thanks for all updates but i was expecting a few nipple comments :)

It only goes to show how much he has improved recently that some people, myself included, will be a little disappointed that he couldnt set up a match v Fed.

British_is_Best · County player

What a fantastic tournament from Dan! Well done to all those who stayed up to watch/follow. I managed to watch the first set and was really impressed with what I saw. Even though I might be slightly biased I think Dan's style of play is a real breath of fresh air. It is very easy on the eye and a nice change from the regular baseline slug fest you often see. I wish him all the best for the rest of the year and I hope that from next year on he becomes an ATP regular as I think he certainly has that in him.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

andyjmr wrote:
Dag and indeed nabit.

confuse

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Lovely tweet from Andy:

Andy Murray ‏@andy_murray 6h

Evo should be so proud whatever happens from now,amazing fighting,great attitude ,looks fresher than trob.. Never though that would happen!

Shame he couldn't force it into a fifth set - Dan's interview says he knows he played two really loose points at the wrong time - but what a match, what a tournament, what hopes for the future ------

Armchair · County player

Bleary eyed but glad to have had the chance to hear Dan's match.

I really thought it was his until those couple of loose points at the end of the fourth : (

Well done Dan.

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

I wasn't a child at the same time as you! Didn't have tv until I was about 15 and never saw any films either.

korriban · Challenger level

Lucky enough to watch every point, and really enjoyed the match. What a talent, and what entertainment for the crowd....they loved it!!

Seems that Dan has been very honest in saying that he rushed and was not focussing on the job at hand from 40-15 serving for the 4th set; he was already thinking about the 5th set, and was honest enough to say Robredo's experience was the difference. I don't think he "choked" in his 2 previous Challenger finals (his MPs were receiving and he only had 1 genuine crack at winning a point), but I think he did yesterday at set point - even if it probably wasn't nerves at all, merely getting carried away, not focussing on the point itself and thinking too far ahead.

I'm not 100% sure, even "on one leg" (as Dan put it) that Robredo couldn't have found a way to tough out the final set even if Dan had taken the 4th. That's what Robredo, Ferrer and players like that do every week........beating players by playing high percentage tennis throughout, never wavering for too long, and hanging tough on key points. And I'm glad to say Dan didn't sound too disappointed after the match.......

.....he's already getting excited about re-setting his goals for the final months of the year to reach the top 100 and gaining an automatic MD slot for the AO. That's a VERY tough ask from about just inside 150 with around 40 points to come off very soon, but I think he needs this kind of audacious goal to motivate him. He would need to be regularly winning or reaching finals of Challengers and/or making a few 250 MDs with a round or 2 of wins for that kind of progression.

For me, the biggest "win" here is the impact this might have on some of the British "lads" who talk a good game, love their banter but probably haven't done enough behind the scenes to step up........if it motivates them to pull their finger out, because hard work really does pay off, then that's good news.

Well done Mr Evans. A real pleasure! biggrin

steven · Tennis legend

I agree with all the stuff you said at the end, korriban ... and that Dan has a fair bit still to do to reach the top 100, but if he keeps playing like he has done over the last few weeks on a fairly regular basis, it might not take that long. He has picked up 235 points in the last 5 weeks and if he can do the same again (i.e. pick up 235 points) over the next 6 months, then even allowing for points due to come off, he would get there.

I know there are no more slams until January, but slam points aren't nearly as out of line with Challenger points as they are for the WTA and if Dan can play anything like he has done recently, he really ought to fancy himself to reached more Challenger finals between now and the end of the year - a Challenger title and a couple of finals would probably do it.