- Dan Evans and Andy Murray fought back to keep their Olympic dreams alive
Playing with Andy Murray at the Olympics on Sunday was one of the best experiences of my career. Winning in the first round gave us a foothold in the competition, but the match was insane.
We got the bus back to the Athletes Village after the game and burst out laughing. We were laughing because everyone in the stadium was so shocked that we had pulled it off. We were down 9-4 in the tiebreaker and most people would have thrown in the towel.
Andy is not like most people, you know. He is the best British tennis player of my generation. You don’t dismiss Andy like most players.
Opponents sense an aura that he is never out of the fight. People see him as an angry presence on the pitch, but as a partner he is incredibly calm. The confidence he exudes is extraordinary. He is very methodical and when he is preparing for a point he gives the feeling that everything is under control.
A match like that takes a lot of physical and emotional energy out of you. It’s not something we’ve talked about, but the story around his retirement makes it a big deal. He’s one of the best British athletes of all time and you wouldn’t be human if that wasn’t in the back of your mind.
Andy Murray and Dan Evans fought back to reach the second round of the men’s doubles in Paris
The Team GB duo were on the verge of collapse but they bounced back at Roland Garros
There’s always more media around when it’s Andy. Everything gets a little more scrutiny, but that’s what you want as a player. We had some chicken and rice on the pitch, got some treatment and then jumped in an ice bath to recover.
Your body is full of adrenaline after a match like that, so it’s hard to fall asleep. I went to the canteen in the Athletes Village for a second round of food. They didn’t seem to have any food left, but I had some pasta and went to bed around 1:30.
Back in the village there is always something to do. It is like a makeshift town. There is a supermarket, a beauty salon and everything you could possibly want. I missed the Tokyo Olympics because I got Covid and that made this experience even better.
In the regular tennis circuit you don’t spend much time with people from other sports. I was sitting in the lodge talking to athletes from the trampoline team the other day. We have English TV coverage so we all gather around to watch the Brits.
Boxing is one of my favorite sports and I went to watch Charley Davison in the bantamweight competition on Saturday night. All her friends and family were invited to watch and she lost. It was hard to watch because I saw how much it meant to them.
The story surrounding Murray’s impending retirement is making it a big deal, Evans has admitted
Evans lost in the singles to Stefano Tsitsipas, but the event was not his priority
Four years and it was over in nine minutes. Sports can be a tough place sometimes, but on the other side you see someone having the best day of their life.
Andy and I are back at it today and hope to build some momentum.
I lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the singles yesterday but that wasn’t my priority. I thought about pulling out after exhausting myself earlier in the week but that wouldn’t suit me when I’m representing Great Britain at the Olympics.
Andy has had a day to recover so that works in our favour and we just want to get started a little faster.
The parties for the athletes who are done with the competition seem fun, but we are not ready to participate in them yet!
I had to forgo the opening ceremony of the boat parade because I had a competition the next day. When I saw everyone coming back like drowned rats, I realized I had made the right decision!