By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday April 15, 2021
After his epic upset of Novak Djokovic on Thursday in Monte-Carlo, Dan Evans took a shot at the last man to beat him. That would be Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, who famously saved four match points to hand Evans his tenth consecutive ATP-level main draw defeat on clay last week, and then told Italian press that he felt disrespected by the fiery Evans.
“There are respectful experienced players on the court,” Musetti said. “Others like Evans, they try to use my youth to (win) matches,” said Musetti in his post-match press conference. “But it’s all experience for me. Evans disrespected me. I don’t want to be treated like a young man.”
In Thursday when a journalist asked Evans a question about how he can lose to Lorenzo Musetti one week and then defeat the World No.1 Djokovic in the next, Evans made it clear that he didn’t take kindly to those comments from Musetti.
“How he spoke last week was embarrassing,” Evans said. “Let's not talk about Musetti in my press conference. Last week he said some things in the Italian press about me that was disrespectful. Musetti, if he apologizes, I will answer. He's a good tennis player, but he's got no manners.”
Evans, never afraid to voice an opinion, added: “He played very well last week. I wasn't good enough. I didn't take the match points. Yeah, it's just tennis. Yeah, he could do with learning some manners.”
We’ll look forward to the next Musetti v Evans tilt for sure. Meanwhile, Evans will take on David Goffin after his surprising victory over Djokovic. The British number one can double his output of ATP-level wins on clay with a victory over the Belgian. He entered the week with just four to his name, but has already reeled off three in Monte-Carlo, with his last two coming against Hubert Hurkacz and Djokovic.
And just for the record, Evans’ quip about Musetti wasn’t his only fun run-in with the media on Thursday, he also had this snarky reply when he was asked by former British star Tim Henman, if clay was his favorite surface.
“Is golf your best sport?” he replied.