The greatest moments of Dan Evans’ tennis career
• 4 minute read
As Britain’s Dan Evans brings his professional tennis career to a close, we look back on all of his greatest career moments from the past 20 years.
From memorable wins over some of the sport’s biggest names to ATP Tour success and key contributions in Davis Cup ties, Evans has delivered plenty of standout moments throughout his career, and we’re here to take a look back on some of those memorable moments.
Beating world No.1 Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo
The 2021 clay court season saw Evans deliver the biggest win of his career by ranking as he defeated 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic at the Monte Carlo Masters.
The Brit arrived at the tournament on a 10-match losing streak on the clay, but found an impressive run of form in Monaco - winning his first two matches to set up a career-first meeting against the world No.1.
Djokovic was by far the overwhelming favourite to win - but like we saw plenty of times across his career, Evans showcased his grit to come through in straight sets and secure one of the biggest upsets of the year and hand Djokovic his first loss of the season.
For any player, beating the highest-ranked player in the world is a huge achievement, but it's a rare feat for British players, with only nine players having done so in the Open Era.
Biggest title of his career in Washington
Evans wrapped up his career having won two tour-level titles - the ATP 250 crown in Melbourne (2021) and the 2023 Citi Open title, the biggest of his career.
The Brit was on fire across his landmark week in Washington - taking down the likes of then world No.10 Frances Tiafoe and world No.20 Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to book a final meeting against Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.
Evans made a fast start to the encounter, dropping just five points on serve on his way to edging a tight opening set. He continued to maintain that level into the second, breaking Griekspoor in the tail end of the set before closing out the win to become the first British player to win the Citi Open since Tim Henman in 2003.
For Evans, the win meant more than just winning a first ATP 500 title - it also saw him climb to a career-high ranking of world No.21.
Olympic doubles with Andy Murray
The following year, Evans teamed up with three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray for the doubles event at the Paris Olympic Games.
It was a decision that meant Evans could not defend his 500 ranking points from the Citi Open the year prior, as he instead chose to partner Murray in what was the former world No.1’s final professional tournament of his career.
The all-British duo pulled off comeback wins in their opening two matches to reach the quarter-finals and keep British fans’ hopes of an Olympic medal alive. However, the pair went on to lose to American third seeds Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.
Despite the defeat, the moment emphasised Evans’ willingness to prioritise sharing a historic occasion with his good friend and compatriot over maintaining his own ranking – a decision that will be remembered for years to come in British tennis history.
Surbiton, Nottingham double
One of Evans’ achievements that goes under the radar was his grass court double at the ATP Challenger events at Surbiton and Nottingham.
Evans always had a brilliant game for the grass, thanks to his amazing on-court creativity, deadly slice, and touch at the net.
In 2019, Evans became the second player in the 21st century to win back-to-back Challenger titles on grass – a feat that has only been achieved since by Andy Murray (2023) and Yunchaokete Bu (2026).
At Surbiton, Evans won a three-set thriller against Marius Copil in the semi-finals and then went on to beat Viktor Troicki 6-2, 6-3 in the final.
A few weeks later, Evans went on to take the Nottingham title against Evgeny Donskoy – a year after losing the final to Alex de Minaur.
Evans also lifted the Nottingham title in 2022, becoming the first player since 1999 to win three Challengers on grass.
Second most Davis Cup ties played for GB
Evans has been a key part of the Great Britain Davis Cup team since making his debut in 2009.
He’s played in 28 ties across his career – second only to Bobby Wilson (34) – and was part of the title-winning team in 2015.
Arguably, one of his most memorable matches came at the 2023 Finals Group Stage in Manchester, during a must-win match for the Brits against France.
Evans started with a brilliant comeback win over Arthur Fils in the singles before heading into the group-deciding doubles with Neal Skupski.
After losing the opening set to Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, the British duo saved four match points to win 1-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(6) and book a place in the Final 8.
It was one of the best comebacks in British Davis Cup history, and being on home soil at the AO Arena in Manchester with so much on the line, made it just that extra bit more special.
Five hour thriller against Khachanov at US Open
Evans has many great matches and memories from competing at the Grand Slams over the years – with career-best runs to the fourth round at the Australian Open and US Open, as well as three third round appearances at Wimbledon.
The standout match across those years in the majors came at the 2024 US Open against 23rd seed Karen Khachanov, in what became the longest match in tournament history.
The British star upset Khachanov 6-7(6), 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4 in five hours and 35 minutes. Evans came back from 4-0 down in the deciding set and faced four break points in the fifth game before rallying back for an historic win.
After winning his marathon match on Court 6 at Flushing Meadows, Evans said, "I think when you're a kid, you're just told to fight until the end. I mean, that's sort of rule one. I've done that pretty consistently for my career. It sort of paid off a bit today."
