ROLAND GARROS

September 27, 2020

Daniel Evans

Press Conference

K. NISHIKORI/D. Evans

1-6, 6-1, 7-6, 1-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you feel at the end of that? Must be proud of yourself, but I'm sure hugely disappointed as well.

DANIEL EVANS: I mean, the end result was I lost. Yeah, I mean, it's good, good effort. But I lost first round, isn't it? It's a little disappointing. I have to move on and get ready for the indoor hard courts.

Q. I'm wondering, when have you played a match possibly in those kind of inhospitable conditions, even going back to club tennis and stuff like that?

DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, it's difficult, isn't it? It was cold. Some of those balls we were using you wouldn't give to a dog to chew. I mean, listen, it is what it is. It's brutal. It's so cold.

I think the balls are the biggest thing. Maybe they got it a little wrong with the balls. It's tough to get that ball to go anywhere. It's in what month, September, October? That ball's a bit too heavy, I think.

Q. Obviously it's very different circumstances this year. There's not a lot of atmosphere out on the court. Kei Nishikori is a reserved character, doesn't show a lot of emotion. Do you feel like you play your best tennis when there's more of an atmosphere, a bit of needling atmosphere in the match? Did that hamper you at all today?

DANIEL EVANS: No, no. I mean, I've not got any real complaints about the match. I thought I played pretty well. I thought Kei played pretty good, as well.

To be honest, it was actually quite a good little atmosphere on the court. I thought there was a little pocket of Japanese guys and girls who were from the tournament playing. The same with the Brits. I think a few spectators from the public were there. So it was pretty good, I thought. Yeah, I mean, it's difficult, difficult conditions obviously. But, you know, we know what the conditions are. No fans.

I'm more than happy to play. I thought it was a good match. Didn't contribute to the match that there wasn't any fans.

Q. How would you sum up your slam performances in 2020? Do you know your itinerary for the rest of the year going into the indoor hard courts?

DANIEL EVANS: They've been pretty poor if we're being totally honest, yeah. I'm going to play obviously St. Petersburg, Vienna and Paris, then wrap it up, yeah.

Q. Obviously you got back into the third set, back into the fifth set. In hindsight is there something you could have done differently or did he step up at the right moment?

DANIEL EVANS: I think if I remember correctly I served for the third set. It's been a bit like that in the last two Grand Slams. I served for a few sets, was a break up in the US quite a lot.

I thought today was a high-quality one, though. He's a class player, so it's extra difficult to put someone like him away. He kept fighting. Vice versa really: when I was down, I kept fighting.

I think, yeah, it's just one of those matches where I've lost in the fifth set really. Once you get there, it's a really tough situation to be in. Every sort of shot, point is so magnified, you need to win them. It's disappointing that I didn't.

Q. Looking up at the buildup to Roland Garros, what has your experience been like in terms of the arrangements that have been made for the players, the coordination, and the correspondence you've had with the tournament officials? Overall has that been positive? Are there things that could have been run differently?

DANIEL EVANS: No, I mean, I think they've done a great job. Me personally, I would prefer the hotel not to have outside people, if that would have been possible. It makes me a little nervous I think when I see the public in the hotel. That's the only thing for me, is Saturday night in Paris, as you can imagine, a pretty central hotel. There was a lot of people in our hotel. For me that's not what I want to see in this situation personally.

But it's not a big deal. If we're not allowed to leave, then we shouldn't be seeing public in the hotel, in my opinion. As I said, it's my opinion.

Q. I assume you used the same balls in Hamburg before this. In the end, how much time did you get on the court to play here, practice here, before the match?

DANIEL EVANS: No, the ball is different to the leading up. It was Dunlop both weeks.

Did I practice? I can't remember what I did yesterday, to be honest. Yeah, no, I practiced yesterday on-site with a French guy. So, yeah, my preparation was pretty good. It's just very difficult conditions really.

I think it's even more highlighted that we come from two pretty warm countries. Rome was pretty warm. The day I played in Hamburg was warm, as well. I think they've just been a little bit unfortunate with the weather today. It's obviously sodden out there, so it's difficult.

Q. A cheeky one. Do you have any pets at home? If so, whether you're take back any mementos from Roland Garros? Any Wilson tennis balls, perhaps?

DANIEL EVANS: No, they're not good enough. No, I'm joking.

I mean, they were just slow because obviously the conditions. It would have been nice to maybe use them the three weeks before, that was all. I think it could have been a bit better for everyone.