Week 18 - Challenger ($85,000 +H): Prosperita Open, Ostrava, Czech Republic (red clay)

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Week 18 - Challenger ($85,000 +H): Prosperita Open, Ostrava, Czech Republic (red clay)

BeefyDeedz · Pro player

Almost written for Dan to be so close to a seeding and then face one himself. Obviously it's not a big difference at all but this'll be a tough one, I think.

stevemcqueen · Futures qualifying

I'm not expecting much from Dan this week. He has won few matches on the dirt and none at a decent level. The highest ranked player he has beaten on clay in the last 3 years is Greg Panfil, the world 426 ( I am not counting the dead rubber against croatia in the DC). I think he would have been better advised to go out to Korea for the pair of Challengers there. Maybe that is too far from Blighty....I wonder if his match will be streamed - it'll be interesting to see how hard he tries.

I'll be watching Dan's grass court season closely, he'll have plenty of opportunity then.

RobH · Social player

Dan replaced by a qualifier/ll, reason given is illness

korriban · Challenger level

RobH wrote:
Dan replaced by a qualifier/ll, reason given is illness

interesting. Wonder if we'll get more details.

TMH · Futures qualifying

He often seems to withdraw from tournaments.

LouieG · County player

Frustrating, needs a run of tournaments at 100% fitness & focus!

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

He's looks pretty healthy in the recent 'selfies' he's posted . . .

korriban · Challenger level

Coup Droit wrote:
He's looks pretty healthy in the recent 'selfies' he's posted . . .

Why is it that with some players, a last minute withdrawal immediately conjures up bad headlines, whether unfairly or not?!

Spectator · All-time great

While I sympathise with your point, Korriban, I think that it's pretty self-evidently not great PR to post happy "selfies" without any explanation when you've withdrawn from something because of illness. Of course a happy picture doesn't mean the person isn't ill: far from it! Ms Robson has been taking happy selfies all over the place, and everyone knows that she's injured (as indeed a recent photo makes clear). But when you've got a history of withdrawals and the reason for the latest is unclear, it might be tactful either to say something that clarifies the situation ("Feeling better. Sorry to miss this week's tournament but glad to be at home) or to be silent for a while. Social media is - whether one likes it or not - PR for public figures, of which Mr Evans is one.

That said, I think one just has to take Mr Evans as he is. He is one of a kind. You either like it or you don't - but my guess is that he doesn't really care. He does what he does, and it is what it is.

-- Edited by Spectator on Monday 28th of April 2014 07:04:15 PM

indiana · Tennis legend

Not really intending to bash Evo, but to my mind he really does need to commit to more tournaments and perform closer to his top level in more of these ( no matter how valid his various withdrawals have been ).

His current 443 ranking points total is split :

331 ( from 4 tournaments )
112 ( from 10 tournaments )

Those 331 points come from his 2 North American Challenger runner up spots last August ( 2 x 60 ), his US Open last 32 run ( 115 ) and February's ATP 250 Zagreb SF run as a LL ( 96 ).

Evo is currently WR 133, take out these best 4 and he'd be on 112 points, which is currently the WR 376 spot !!

I reckon very few people doubt his tennis ability and that he is well capable of being top 100. I am afraid there must be ongoing doubts about his thought process abilities.

Perhaps, yes Spectator, we may just have to take Evo as he is, but it can be very frustrating.

Be all you can be, Dan !

BeefyDeedz · Pro player

I can't help but wish that Dan, and indeed other tennis players, were a lot more transparent. Yes, this is obviously a selfish request, but it is incredibly frustrating for events like this to occur and to have absolutely no idea as to whether it is genuine or a little less so, as a fan.

EddietheEagle · County player

My wish would be for our second string players like Evans, indeed all our up and coming players, to hunt in packs a bit more and attend overseas tournaments as a group where they can help and support each other. I watched a bunch of Italian players once, working together at the Bournemouth Futures over the course of a week and they went on to produce the results on court. Someone like Evans is plainly a fish out of water on his own in a place like the Czech Republic. He may not have fancied it seeing Stepanek in the draw near to him. I don't know what degree of coordination there is in deciding their individual programmes but if they're taking money from the centre some coordination is warranted.

Priesty · Challenger level

A picture of Evo with Jim Davidson in a football stadium,taken last night, has now been posted on Twitter....

Really not doing himself any favours IMO.

Jaffa · Challenger level

Bit harsh to speculate without knowing everything Priesty. British tennis have just posted a few pics of Evo practicising with Tim - it could have been anything, a sickness bug, food poisoning...

But I don't speculate