'Just shake hands and move on!': Dan Evans slams tennis stars for complaining about fatigue

Britain’s Dan Evans has lashed out at other players for making excuses about fatigue in tennis. There has been considerable debate in recent years, with players complaining about scheduling in professional tennis.

That list included big-name players such as Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, who, on more than one occasion, stated that the tennis schedule now increases the risk of players' injury in the near future. That, however, did not impress Evans, who lambasted players who complain about tough schedules. The 35-year-old has been quoted in a report by English media outlet Daily Mail, where he stated that he is ‘fed up’ with such remarks.

“In general I am fed up with sportspeople who, when they lose, there is an issue. Just f***ing shake the guy’s hand and say well done,” he said. “This day and age somebody is never better than us. It’s always, we are tired. If you’re sick, you’re sick. That’s part of being a tennis player. Tiredness, the schedule - you can take time off. It’s not an excuse. You have lost. That is it. Pull your calf in the first match you lose. It’s sport, isn’t it?”

Evans also opens up about playing with an injury at Wimbledon last year, where he lost to Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 7-5, 6-3. Evans admitted that in 2024, he ‘rushed’ to play at the mega-event, which did not turn out to be a good decision.

“Last year was a rush, no doubt about that,” he said. “I took a little bit longer than expected to recover. I was just a bit behind in preparation - it sounds like I am making excuses after what I have just said! In hindsight, playing the Olympics was probably not the best thing for my body but that is what I wanted to do and, I’ve said many times, that was the best thing I have ever done and it would be hard to top that. It’s nice this year to be fully fit. I was thinking earlier that I would be first or second on that (potentially slippery) court that no-one has played on. Brings back a bit of anxiety about it but I am sure it will be alright.”