Not many people on the planet can say they have beaten Novak Djokovic in a tennis match.
The Serb is arguably the greatest player to ever hold a racket and has a winning record against pretty much everyone he has ever come up against.
Who is the greatest male tennis player of all time?
However, there are some stars on the ATP Tour who have clinched a victory over the 24-time Grand Slam champion, one of whom is Dan Evans.
At the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2021, Evans beat Djokovic in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, to advance to the quarterfinals of the clay-court event.
It was an astonishing upset, but one the Briton believed he could accomplish from the moment he stepped on the court.
Dan Evans’ reaction after beating Novak Djokovic in 2021
In his post-match press conference after the win, Evans said: “I felt comfortable from the outset. In myself, I felt very good.
“But more importantly, I didn’t feel he was being too aggressive, pushing me back too much. I was comfortable in the points. I hit my forehand well.
“When I got the first set, I had to deal with a bit of adversity at 3-Love and just hang in there. I guess when I held at 5-4 after the set point, I think I sort of sensed he really wanted that.
Who will retire with more Grand Slam titles – Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic?
Let us know why in the comments!
“Obviously, he wanted the point, but he made a big error. I felt that was because of the pressure I was applying on him. He felt he needed to take that point there and then.
“I felt pretty relaxed up until probably 40-15, to be honest. He come at me at 40-15, and I felt, Just give it a good go here. It’s a nice feeling when it was over.
“Like I said, it’s a great day. Got some more matches to go this week, yeah.”
Novak Djokovic’s reaction to losing to Dan Evans
Reacting to the loss, Djokovic said: “Well, congratulations to him. I mean, he deserved to win. He was a better player. Just more focused I guess and played with a better quality in the decisive moments.
“To be honest, I mean, this has been probably one of the worst matches and performances from my side I can recall in the last years.
“I don’t want to take anything away from his win, but from my side, I just felt awful on the court overall. Just nothing worked. It’s one of those days.
“He has a lot of variety in his game. He uses slice so efficiently. He’s quick around the court. He serves and volleys.
“He’s got a really all-around game. It’s really a nice player to watch, not a great player to play against. Lots of talent.
“He’s definitely got the game. I mean, at the slams obviously best-of-five, it’s different. Depends on which surface.
“He would probably agree maybe clay wasn’t his surface growing up, most preferred one. But the way he plays on clay, I think he plays on a similar quality level that he plays probably on his best surfaces like faster hard court or maybe grass.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s a very good player, no doubt about it. He’s very unpredictable with his shots. He dismantled my game.”
Evans and Djokovic met for the second time four years later at Wimbledon, and the latter came out on top this time.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
