Dan Evans helped Andy Murray put together the perfect Olympic send-off despite defeat in the quarter-finals.
It wasn’t to be for Andy Murray in the end as he and Dan Evans fell to the powerful American duo Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz.
The show is unfortunately and reluctantly over, with Murray enjoying every last second he had on court.
Their opponents showed their appreciation for the double Olympic champion as the tears started to fall during his final wave goodbye.
The pair had saved an astonishing seven match points to get to the quarter-final stage and in keeping with this daft record, managed to save one more before eventually their luck ran out.
What did Dan Evans and Andy Murray say to each other just before the Olympic defeat?
The pair fought oh so stoically throughout all the matches they played together, and with just a bit too much quality on the other side of the net, their fate was tragically sealed.
With the duo friends off the court, Evans revealed what they were talking about just moments before the curtain came down for a final time.
Evans spoke to Eurosport via X after the match saying: “It was amazing the effort we both put into getting ready, to really give it a go in the doubles.
“It’s something I’ll cherish forever, to play the last match. I think we will both say that we probably didn’t play our best.
“But I think when it was 4-1 it wasn’t looking pretty and we just laughed about it, we can’t get out of jail with this one! We gave it a go though and just came up a bit short right at the end.”
Dan Evans has done the perfect job of restabilizing his image
The 34-year-old’s mere presence in Paris speaks volumes about his character, with even Judy Murray appreciating Evans’ sacrifice.
Having won the ATP 500 event in Washington last year, Evans chose to partner Murray at the Olympics instead of defending his points stateside, which as a result sees him fall outside the top 170.
The Brit has not had the easiest ride throughout his tennis journey so far, with Evans having previously been criticised for his lack of commitment and off-court behavior.
In light of Emma Raducanu’s late withdrawal from the Wimbledon mixed doubles which left Murray without a partner, Evans has demonstrated the sacrifice that British fans were all craving.
While Raducanu’s reasons were totally just and the situation was arguably overblown, the closeness of the two events is only going to rehabilitate Evans’ image.
With the Brit having done everything in his power to give Murray the perfect send-off, he will only have attracted a special public fondness that will likely live on forever.
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