Dan Evans laughs off claims he is out of shape ahead of Australian Open - 'I’ve been called worse than fat'
Only a few hours before his first grand-slam match as a seeded player, Dan Evans found himself laughing off claims that he is out of shape. As he told reporters on Saturday, “I’ve been called worse than fat.”
Evans’s career-best position as the British No 1 and 30th seed has helped him earn a very winnable opener – scheduled for Sunday night, UK time – against the USA’s Mackenzie McDonald. Troubled recently by a hamstring problem, McDonald has not won a tour-level match since April.
But the debate in the interview room on Saturday moved on quickly from this favourable draw to Tim Henman’s provocative recent comment about Evans’s weight.
Speaking after Great Britain’s agonising quarter-final exit from the ATP Cup, team captain Henman commended Evans for his superb form throughout the tournament – which saw him beat two top-20 players in David Goffin and Alex de Minaur – but then followed up with a low blow. “I think Evo could miss a few meals.”
In response, Evans revealed that he had tried going vegan after last year’s US Open, but found that it made no difference to his weight. “I'm 78 kilos right now,” he said. “It's not bad. Aesthetically, I guess it is how I am. I don't have a six-pack, I know that.”
Asked about the Gamechangers documentary that has influenced many athletes to try a vegan diet, Evans explained that he had followed the advice, but saw no improvement in his physical condition. “I watched that and there was a lot of other things. I just did it. I don't know why. And then I got my skin folds done in pre-season and I wasn't what I was when I was eating meat.
“I just decided to go back and try it [meat]. I'm not saying I won't go the other way again but I have started alright at the start of the year.”
If Henman’s jibe was taken in good heart, it may be because the two men struck up a strong bond during Great Britain’s four ATP Cup matches.
There is an obvious similarity between their playing styles – both players match a single-handed backhand with silky volleys – and their collaboration seemed to help Evans think more clearly about his tactical approach.
“I need to put my game on the court and I can win,” Evans said. “Probably a few matches last year I didn’t do that. I didn’t take small opportunities to come into the net. Or I was aggressive maybe one ball too late and I lose that point and it’s a bit of a snowball effect from there.
“It's difficult to be a rake like Tim,” Evans added. “There’s not a muscle on him. And he finds it pretty hard to give a compliment, I tell you that. But everything he did in the two weeks before, for me, was great.”
