END GAME

Evans looking forward to the social side of retirement

- By Neil McLeman

DAN EVANS was at Andy Murray’s side when the Scot said an emotional au revoir to tennis at the Paris Olympics last summer.

So how will the British No.5, now 35, say goodbye to his career as a player?

“I’ll leave quietly, that’s for sure,” he said, smiling. “I probably won’t tell anybody when I am finished.

“I’m not one for attention or anything like that. Then I’ll probably have a good party.”

Evans, who yesterday beat Tommy Paul 6-4 3-6 6-3 to reach the Eastbourne Open quarter-finals, has no immediate plans to hang up his racket and does not want this to be his last Wimbledon.

Fighting back the tears after beating the second seed, he said: “A good friend said, ‘If you're ready, and the door opens, you'll walk through it. If you're not, you won’t’.

“There’s no truer word for the past few weeks, and hopefully there’s more to come.

“I’ve got another year left, I reckon but there’s no lying, it’s getting harder to get on the plane.