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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2017

Daniel Evans

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

D. EVANS/B. Tomic

7-5, 7-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Five appearances at the net in the first set, then 50 plus from then on. What changed?
DANIEL EVANS: I was just struggling at the start to find a rhythm off his ball. Yeah, that was it really. You know, I didn't really find it until the middle of the second.

But, yeah, I needed to be a bit more aggressive. The match was being really slow, playing into sort of his hands. Yeah, so I felt I needed to come forward to put my game on him a bit more. He was dictating in the first set. I didn't like how the match was sort of going.

Q. You seemed to enjoy the atmosphere out there. Brings out the best in you.
DANIEL EVANS: It was good. It was always going to be like that. Yeah, it was great. I really enjoyed it. It's a great atmosphere. It's the first time I played on that court. Yeah, I really enjoyed it. It's great that it's a free ticket on that court.

Q. Was there a problem at one stage with someone in the crowd?
DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, this guy behind me, obviously Croatian, Australian, whatever, was coughing as I was throwing the ball up, as well as screaming at me when I was losing points.

Q. Did he get ejected in the end?
DANIEL EVANS: He didn't. I'm not sure why not.

Q. You handled the situations well, the weather and stuff. Maybe in the past, there are chances where you wouldn't have handled it as well. How have you managed to handle things better?
DANIEL EVANS: I played a lot of tennis the last few weeks. Obviously those situations can go either way, as you guys know. Yeah, I've come out of that match winning 6-5-6. Those breakers can go either way. If I lose that second set, the momentum's completely switched. The crowd were getting into it. I come out on the good side of that.

But yeah, just kept focused. If I might have saw that match as a really big opportunity to go for it, I probably would have put myself down as favorite before I played that match. I did think it was a big opportunity, and I genuinely felt a bit of pressure that I should win that match.

Q. Is that because of what happened in New York?
DANIEL EVANS: No. Beating Cilic is obviously a one-off. I don't want that to be my final. Backing it up is a big thing, like last week when I beat Thiem. The semi was the big match. Just to come back, put my game on the court again, yeah, it was a big thing for me.

Q. Have you got enough confidence and self-belief to believe you can do Tsonga, as well?
DANIEL EVANS: I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. Obviously it's going to be another step up. He's sort of obviously someone I watched growing up. Yeah, I mean, I watched so many of his matches in the semis and quarters of Grand Slams. It's going to be a little different to be playing against him. We'll see what it's like.

Q. Were you struggling with a cramp at the end or injury?
DANIEL EVANS: No. I was fine. I actually hit my racquet on my knee. It just shot down my leg, almost like my funny bone, but on my knee. So it was fine.

Q. There's a confidence in your ability to come over the top of your backhand now more so than I've even seen last fall. Where has that come from?
DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, against these better players, I have to take that chance a bit more. I'm not the strongest, so just rallying cross-court on my slice, keeping it there, they can run round it and really go after me.

Changing that direction is a big thing for me. Obviously I found that really hard in my last match. I was hitting cross-court too much. Changed directions, it's a really big thing. That's when I play my best, is changing down the line a lot and coming forwards.

Q. How satisfying, how much of a sense of achievement is it to you to get to the last 16 of a slam?
DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, it was a goal to make the fourth round of a slam this year. It's satisfying. But I'm not looking back yet. We've got another match on Sunday, I think it is. We'll see what happens then.

After the tournament, look back. Whatever happens, it's been a great tournament. But, you know, there's still some tennis to be played.

Q. Seemed that Bernie came over and said something to you just before he left the court.
DANIEL EVANS: He just said, Well done. I mean, I get on with Bernie pretty good. No issues, yeah. All of our matches have been pretty good mannered and stuff. It's cool.

Q. I know you didn't want to go into it too much pregame, but John Tomic's comments to you in 2012, now that the game's over, does that make the victory a bit sweeter?
DANIEL EVANS: No. He came to the changing room after and said, Well done. It was nice of him. I didn't have a problem with him at all, to be honest. It was his opinion, yeah.

I just don't think they conducted theirselves that well. John was fine, but the rest of his team acted like complete idiots in the box, screaming at me when I was getting my towel. That's why I was upset on the match court.

He has a friend in the box. He doesn't know how to act on a tennis court, whoever the other guy is. Just screaming at me when I'm getting my towel. And the umpire sees it as well and doesn't say anything. I mean, I wish some of the people in my box would do that. The English people are too well-mannered.

Q. Was it quite personal, some of it?
DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, the guy's just screaming at me. Give him hell, Bernie. There's nothing on that tennis court which could be hell, is there? What happened in Melbourne today is hell. It's an embarrassment.

That's why it's just a bit -- I think that's why Bernie said, Well done, and stuff, because he was a bit embarrassed by how those guys acted.

Q. The guy coughing and that, you think someone should have stepped in?
DANIEL EVANS: I don't know. I mean, listen, the match was great. The whole thing was good. Win or lose, matches, you remember them. For three hours, you put on a good show like that. The atmosphere, even though it was against me, was great as well.

I mean, the majority of the crowd were good. The Fanatics were funny at times. Yeah, I enjoyed it. It's just pockets were a bit different. Let's put it that way.

Q. You were serving at a crucial point when you went to the umpire. How did you keep yourself composed when you went back to serve?
DANIEL EVANS: I mean, I just had to say it, because otherwise I'm throwing the ball up on my second serve again. I don't want him to maybe cough again. I'd rather take my time, go back.

I was fine. I mean, I think I won that point. Seemed to be okay.

Q. Was there a reason why you pointed at the sky at the end of the match?
DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, obviously you guys know Jules. There's been a lot on Twitter about Jules this week. I'm sure he's watching somewhere there.

Q. Was that the reason why? You seemed a little bit emotional at the end.
DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, like I said, quite a lot of people reminded me about Jules this week. It's obviously a shame he's not here.

Q. He's a guy that did a lot for you?
DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, obviously everybody knows, you know, he wrote that article at the end, which he obviously wasn't that complimentary about me. I think he said it was an interlude into my life. Tennis, an interlude in my life. At the time he was probably right.

Yeah, I guess when you get a bit older, you look back at those sort of things. I just think it's a bit of a shame. I'm sure he sees it from somewhere, but just not on the right side, you know.

Q. That it wasn't just an interlude, did you want to prove that somehow?
DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, when he passed away, I sort of knew Jules was going to pass away. He sent us a video at Davis Cup in Belgium. We wasn't allowed to go see him because he was so sick. Like, I would never want anyone to see that video. It was harrowing. He knew he was going to die. He pretty much knew.

So, yeah, it's one of those things, isn't it? That was probably the main thing. I was getting myself together before he died, but when he died, a lot of people said, who were close to Jules -- I never got to see Jules again after he left the LTA pretty much. I seen him a few times with Maria. Once he got sick, he got sick pretty well. His family, or the doctors, didn't want anyone to see him.

I just sort of took -- those things sort of hit you. Yeah, I mean, it's just not an easy thing. Those years I spent pretty much every day of my life with him, day in and day out, in my working life. So, yeah, it's difficult. But, you know, obviously I've got Hilt now, but it would be good if Jules was in the court, yeah.

Q. The comment about your shirt, shrunk, but you're going to carry on using them.
DANIEL EVANS: The one I actually put on the second time had been washed. I thought it was a new one. It shrunk a bit. Probably the washing here.

Q. Not been any other offers in the last couple of days?
DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, I think so. But I just want to carry on with the tournament. For now there's nothing more important than this tournament at the minute. Never mind. Getting distracted, all that stuff, looking at Twitter's probably not ideal right now. So, yeah, I appreciate all the support back home and stuff. But for me right now it's to prepare for Sunday.

Q. How is the shirt supply going? How many un-shrunk ones do you have?
DANIEL EVANS: The company actually sent quite a lot to the locker room today. That was nice of them, yeah. There was no logo, so that was really nice of them as well. I've got quite a few now, and they were free (smiling).

Q. Ought to autograph them.
DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, but they won't go more for $20 with my autograph on them (smiling).

Q. You never know.
DANIEL EVANS: You never know.

Q. (Question about Kevin Pietersen.)
DANIEL EVANS: He didn't want me to have my picture with him. That was it. I think he was worse for wear. That was his excuse when he replied. Quite funny, isn't it, how things work out. He was my favorite cricketer until that point, genuinely was.

But there was some serious rage for about 20 minutes after that happened. There was some serious rage. Yeah, it was a bad moment that was. It was so embarrassing, as well. He didn't even just say, No. He handed me off, as well. I was nowhere near him either. Oh, God, yeah, it was really embarrassing, as well.

Q. Was it around the roulette table or something?
DANIEL EVANS: No. I would understand if he was playing a game or something. I wasn't in the casino. I was coming out of the restaurant. He was walking down the hall. I mean, he wasn't even, like, getting hassled or anything. He was just with three friends. There was, like, no one around him. I'd get it if everyone was asking him.

It was amazing. I heard that's not such a surprise to some people. Maybe you'd know, Mike.

Q. Haven't seen him for a while.
DANIEL EVANS: Oh my God, sit on the fence, man.

Q. If you continue making progress here, what are you going to do if Pietersen asks you for tickets?
DANIEL EVANS: He's such a celebrity now, he doesn't need to ask me for tickets.

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