Alexander Zverev win shows Dan Evans' future is far more relevant than ‘bad boy’ past

Even after their names were paired together in the men’s doubles draw and the possibilities of their partnership were left to marinate for days, Dan Evans and Nick Kyrgios lining up for their first round remained a strange sight. It’s a partnership which, on paper, joined two players who seem to occupy vastly opposite spheres of the sport. But between Kyrgios, the man with the future, and Evans, the man with the past, they seemed to fit.

While Nick Kyrgios continues to do Nick Kyrgios things, courting controversy and provoking think-pieces with deceptively effortful attempts to maintain his image as the greatest character in tennis, Evans’ career had, for a long time, also been defined by similar and accurate assertions of him failing to live up to his talent. Like Kyrgios, a search of the name “Dan Evans” along with the phrase “bad boy” elicits tens of thousands of results, with timestamps on articles describing him as this in times ranging from the early 2010s during his controversial years, to articles this year contrasting his older days with his grand reformation.

This reforming chapter of Dan Evans’s career has been a full year in the making. After the recent peak of reaching his first Slam third round at Wimbledon in July, he arrived in New York ranked at a career high of 67th. It’s a ranking he worked hard for, toiling away and amassing points in often weak ATP Challenger events around the world. Over the last 52 weeks alone, Evans has won four Challenger titles and reached two further finals in addition to one Futures title.

However, under the lights of Court 4 as he stood on the threshold of his second US Open third-round match, Evans took his game to another level and produced what he rightfully described as the win of his career. There were many aspects of his 6-4 6-4 5-7 6-2 victory over future star Alex Zverev that stood out. Physically, the performance almost represented the complete antithesis of what his career has stood for. While he had always been the player falling short of his potential, this match was Evans eking out every inch of his ability.

Eight inches separated the 5ft 9in Evans and Zverev in height, but when Evans wasn’t deliberately blunting the pace of rallies with his varied and accomplished slice, the Brit punched well above his weight level by wrestling control of many exchanges. Although the 26-year-old possesses only one vaguely penetrative stroke in his arsenal, his forehand down the line, Evans trusted that one stroke with his life.

Constantly and incessantly, Evans took on his forehand down the line and laughed in the face of the risk. But more importantly, even when he missed multiple times in succession and felt the German’s vast shadow above as he breathed down his neck, he was unwavering in his willingness to relentlessly take the shot on.

In reality, Evans’ physical performance was a mere footnote in a victory defined by his mental application. As Zverev, a regularly emotional and stress-driven child collapsed into hysterics, arguing with the umpire and burying heads to his hands, it was juxtaposed so clearly with the calm, mature, Evans.

The act of staying dialled-in and focused throughout the full duration of a best-of-five-set match, without mental breaks or moments of hesitation, presents one of the most revealing tests in the sport, yet it was made to look easy throughout by Evans. When, after rolling to a two-set lead, he felt the dreaded presence of nerves force him to passivity, he could have easily allowed the set to roll from him along with his focus on the fourth set to come.

Evans simply continued, only immersing himself further in the match, becoming embroiled in deep, long deuce games as he pegged the volatile German back to 5-5. When he eventually double faulted on set point to give the third set away, he immediately bounced back, breaking serve early on and rolling to victory.

Evans passed all tests and cleared all hurdles, his victory over Zverev putting him into a second consecutive slam round of 32. After facing Roger Federer at Wimbledon, Federer’s countryman Stan Wawrinka awaits. Above all, Evans made it clear that he is a serious tennis player with a future far more relevant than his past.