MURRAY RIVER OPEN

February 5, 2021

Daniel Evans

Press Conference

D. EVANS/B. Coric

7-5, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Obviously a busy day for you and for all the players that had to be on court. Just explain your experience at Melbourne Park today.

DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, fairly straightforward in the end. Just one rain delay. Thought it was going to be a lot longer day, maybe some indoor tennis, but Melbourne obviously lived up to its weather and we got through.

So it was a good day. Still pretty tough day, but, yeah, I'm happy with how it went.

Q. Any comments on playing two matches in one day, having to double up, and not easy matches, especially that second one?

DANIEL EVANS: I mean, obviously the circumstances dictated that. I think it was handled right when obviously the positive case was come out.

Still good points on offering in the first tournament. Obviously it's all about the Open, but at my ranking, I have to take the wins when I can get them on the tour, and I'm happy to play two matches in the day.

Yeah, it was a good day.

Q. Now to come up against Chardy, he was given a walkover into the semis. Your thoughts going into that match?

DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, I mean, difficult match. I mean, although obviously I said it's good to get through and win, you know, I'm sort of now it's Saturday, Sunday, it's sort of (indiscernible), isn't it? If you lose, you can get ready. If you win, you're in the final.

I'm happy either way. Hopefully I win, but now I could look forward to the other tournament if I don't get through.

But obviously I'll be out there fighting to get through.

Q. Have you seen or looked at the Australian Open draw?

DANIEL EVANS: Yeah. I mean, someone told me who I play. It's obviously pretty -- you know, it's unfortunate that two Brits play each other. It's a long way to come to play each other.

But it will be a good match. Be good fun. Hopefully I win, you know. It's a difficult match, though. It's not easy.

Q. Do you find it tougher playing another Brit as you're going to have to at the Australian compared to someone from another country?

DANIEL EVANS: I mean, obviously Cameron would know me better than most. He beat me last time, when we was in lockdown in London, so I'm the underdog, so pressure is on him.

Q. Just looking ahead to the Australian Open, it's obviously pretty early into all the players' seasons to be playing best-of-five-set matches. Was today in any way useful from that point of view in that you had to play two matches almost back to back?

DANIEL EVANS: I mean, it would be nice in the Open if you played two sets, have an hour off then come back and play another two. No, very different. Good to get it in the legs.

Yeah, to be honest, I have not thought about next week just yet. You know, I think I just said it's a big opportunity for me this week. You know, you're in the semifinals of a tournament, you know, one of the highest levels of the sport, so this is why you play. So it's a good opportunity.

Q. Wondering, were you one of the people in the Hyatt who got caught up in this? How would you sort of characterized the general sort of buildup you being able to have with this sort of semi-quarantine and stuff? How did you find it?

DANIEL EVANS: I mean, caught up yesterday. You know, we got our, not orders, but got the information and we just -- you know, I think they did a pretty good job. I got on-site yesterday late, maybe 7:00, me and Cam had a hit. You know, I prepared for today as if I had a day off yesterday. It wasn't too much of a distraction.

Yeah, yesterday was fairly boring, don't get me wrong. Five hours a day in the actual quarantine was fine, to be honest. I had to be careful not to moan too much, obviously Aljaz did the full lockdown. It was fine for me.

And, you know, maybe not enough tennis, perfect in an ideal world, but we're not living in an ideal world. So prepared as well as I could, and this week serving good to get some good matches in my legs and, you know, you never know.

Q. Can you tell us about your new sideline as a yoga instructor?

DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, when you tell me about those headphones.

Q. My laptop is broken down, so anything I can get.

DANIEL EVANS: If you lot believe that I was instructing yoga to Skupskis, you're worse than I thought. Come on. Believe in Skouses (phonetic), come on.

I mean, one day we did a workout and there was some stretching, but it's not yoga (smiling). Might be for those pair, I mean, they're hardly the most athletic two in the world.

Maybe I'll have a decent Aussie Open and, yeah, stick to it. I don't know.

Q. How high up your list of goals is winning an ATP title?

DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, obviously it's not something I'm dying to do or if I get the opportunity again obviously, you know, I want to win that match. But, you know, I have put myself in good positions. You know, it's been tough final -- the two, I think I played two, were difficult.

I just take each match at a time and, you know, tough match tomorrow against Jeremy, so we'll see how that goes.

Then if I'm in the final, I'll be out there trying as hard as I can to win.

Q. Given that you're playing Cam Norrie in the first round, is the etiquette you don't hit with him in the buildup to that match? Will you see him? Will you actually hit together on the court or not?

DANIEL EVANS: No, I mean, we won't hit now. Yeah, we hit a bit last night, but we obviously won't hit together now. But I'd hope he'll still say hello to me. Some funny tennis players out there. No, he's all good.

There will be no etiquette come Monday, though. Like I wouldn't want him to feel he has to be polite to me or not be himself. It's sort of friendship obviously goes out the window. You're playing in a Grand Slam, so yeah.

Q. Just a follow-up on that question, was it you just hit with Cam just the once since you have been in Australia?

DANIEL EVANS: No, I think we've played twice since we've been here. We played the other morning and then we played obviously last night just because it was difficult to organize practice yesterday with -- you know, you're not knowing what time you're getting your test results back and it just coincided we both got out of the, you know, the mini quarantine at the same time, so we come to the courts late and practiced. That was it, yeah.

Obviously then we pulled each other in the draw, so...

Q. Just generally, how prepared do you feel compared to a normal Grand Slam, just with everything going on at home and then coming over here and everything? Do you feel different? Do you feel prepared enough?

DANIEL EVANS: I mean, the matches this week have really helped to feel more prepared. You know, I felt awful in my first match this morning, wasn't great, but that one there I felt, it's like anything, any sport, I guess, competition really does get you up to speed.

You know, listen, we had a pretty long break between the last match and the first match of the year, which was -- obviously everybody knows the reasons why. You know, it's difficult to moan, not feeling 100% prepared. We're lucky we can come out here and just pretty grateful that, you know, we are still able to work with everything, which is disaster at home, really.

Yeah, I mean, I'm just pretty happy to be able to still play, yeah.

Q. A general question about this year, how big a target for you will the Olympics be?

DANIEL EVANS: I mean, I won't write myself off, but, you know, it's very, pretty hectic year, so, you know, I have not sat down and thought about the Olympics just yet.

Yeah. It's a difficult one, to be honest. I'll have to sit down and see if that fits into what I need, really. You know, it's my first and foremost is staying on the tour and making sure I'm winning matches on the tour and for longevity. And maybe however many weeks that takes out of my schedule might not be ideal for me, you know. With people playing the Olympics it might give me a better chance at picking up points.

You know, I have not really thought about it, to be honest.

Q. It's a difficult place in the schedule, isn't it? It's a couple of weeks after Wimbledon. It will be taking place when the North American hard court season has started. Will those all be factors? Are you saying you might even choose not to play?

DANIEL EVANS: I mean, I don't want to say I won't play, but I would say closer to that way than playing right now. But I just don't -- you know, I don't exactly know when it is. Those tournaments in North America are some of my best chances. I really like those tournaments.

So I don't really know where it sits, you know, like, listen, it would be great to get a medal out there, but the reality is I'd have to play pretty well to try and get a medal. I don't know. I mean, it's a difficult one for me, yeah.