Sporting world is touched by Dan Evans sharing a banana with opponent at Australian Open

There are acts of sportsmanship in tennis, but this touching moment between rivals at the Australian Open really takes the…banana?

British professional Dan Evans may have lost his third round match against Russian Andrey Rublev at Melbourne Park, but he gained a host of new fans for his generosity and sportsmanship.

Rublev won in straight sets, but it was the moment he couldn’t find his snack mid-match that really stole the show.

Evans’ gracious offer of a banana during the second set may have been his undoing, as his opponent found the energy to close out the match in straight sets.

Despite the stakes, Evans graciously offered his opponent a banana from his own supply, helping Rublev to a dominating victory.

Rublev dropped a paltry nine games in their straight-sets win, the Russian delivering a ruthless 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 victory that left world number 30 Evans searching for answers.

The 25-year-old will face the winner of the clash between Danish ninth seed Holger Rune and Frenchman Ugo Humbert for a place in the quarterfinals.

“I asked the ball boy for a banana, but Danny asked for bananas earlier and he had two, so he threw one at me,” Rublev said with a smile.

“It sure helped me with some energy – I win two more games because I eat the banana.”

While Evans’ generous act may have backfired on him, it won the hearts of tennis fans around the world.

Rublev celebrates reaching the round of 16 at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in a dominating straight-sets victory

Rublev and Evans shake hands in the net after the contest that the Russian won comfortably in the end

‘Is this how sports should be? This is incredible! I love it’, posted a fan.

“Brings everything back from their strict professionalism-focused atmosphere to how it’s a normal human thing for these guys too,” another posted.

“There are now some images for any ad agency to promote the Australian banana,” added another.

Balancing touch and finesse with some power shots, Rublev hit 60 winners to Evans’ 20 in the clinical two-hour, nine-minute performance that also included 10 aces.

She is looking to eclipse her previous best run at the Open, reaching the quarterfinals in 2021, while she has never gone further than the last eight at any major.

Evans worked hard in the match, but was only able to hit 20 winners compared to his opponent’s 60, making it difficult for him to get into the match.

The opponents took the time to have a friendly word after the match, which showed that sportsmanship is truly alive at the Australian Open.

Rublev was pleased with his performance and felt his confidence grow with each match.

He entered the Open in questionable form after losing both matches he played at the two Adelaide tournaments, losing to local hopeful Thanasi Kokkinakis and Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.

“Every match I am playing better and better and I am very happy because at the beginning of the season I lost a couple of difficult matches against great players,” Rublev said.

I lost a bit of confidence and I’m happy that since the first match here I’m playing very good tennis and I’m improving.

‘After the first set I felt confident and that I can play better and faster and add one more speed and as soon as I did that I started to feel even better and I feel like he is not comfortable.

“I tried to play even more aggressive and in the end I played very good tennis.”

Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time a tennis player has graciously shared his bananas with an opponent.

At the 2021 Wimbledon championships, Polish player Hubert Hurkacz extended the same grace to Russian-born Kazakh player Alexander Bublik.

On that occasion, the gift of the banana was not enough for Bublik, and Hurkacz won in straight sets.