Dan Evans is rapidly approaching his retirement from tennis, which will officially arrive at the end of Wimbledon.
Evans has received a wildcard to play doubles at Wimbledon, where he will compete alongside Henry Searle.
But the two-time ATP winner has not received a singles wildcard, with only two spots remaining as the Grand Slam draws closer.
Evans was hugely displeased that he did not receive a wildcard for Queen’s, where the 36-year-old lost his opening match in qualifying.
But he has now looked back on a more pleasant time in his career, having played doubles with fellow Briton Andy Murray at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Dan Evans recalls Andy Murray’s impending retirement at the Paris Olympics
Recalling their run in the French capital, after which Murray retired from tennis, Evans said on The Tennis Podcast: “I think the weirdest thing about that is that every day was close to his last one.
“We were sharing the same physio that week because that was our team and it was like he has done this for years.
“It was a bit eerie that this might be the last time he ever gets strapped. It was like you’re going to be the one going out with him! It was a bit weird that he couldn’t then play again.
“After when we lost, we all just went and sat in the cafe where we all eat at Roland Garros but it’s not a cafe for the Olympics, it was just a seating area.
“We just sat there and everybody just said well done and then it was over. It was strange, really, that he could not play tennis again. It was odd.
“It took a lot after to sort of get back into normal routine. It was like the Olympic village. It was a bit like being in the Big Brother house.
“But playing those matches with him was probably the best part of my career.”
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Dan Evans shares what Andy Murray was like as a doubles partner
Murray and Evans enjoyed a memorable run at the Paris Olympics, where they beat Japan’s Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori, and Belgium’s Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen.
But the British duo then fell in the quarterfinals to American pair Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, confirming Murray’s retirement from the sport.
Sharing what the Scot was like as a doubles partner, Evans said: “He was so positive the whole time. He would say ‘sorry’ a lot and I would be like what are you saying sorry for here?
“You would be thinking you have been setting us up for a lot of the match and then he’d miss one and you’d be like stop saying sorry.
“Because you are playing with him it doesn’t mean that you can’t help him. That is sort of what I took from it.
“Sometimes he would get a bit frustrated and I would be like ‘it’s alright, next point’. And you think to yourself what are you saying here? You are saying this to Andy!
“He is not shy coming forward to tell someone to be quiet, is he? He was an amazing partner to be honest and just how we won the matches, it ended up being unbelievable.
“Just thinking back it was incredible how we won and how it all happened. He was unbelievably grateful as well, that is something I will never forget.”
And sharing if they have a bond now, he added: “We spoke a lot anyway. He sent me a nice note at the end and I would say that he was happy that I was on the court.
“We went to his retirement party which was amazing. It was pretty good, yeah!”
Evans will now be going through the emotions that Murray felt before hanging up his racket, but hopefully he can enjoy one final high at Wimbledon.
But given the fierce competition for places, Wimbledon is in an awkward position regarding its final men’s singles wildcards.
Evans, however, is hugely deserving of one of the remaining spots because of what he’s done for British tennis, and it would be a real shame if he is ultimately overlooked.
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