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Daniel Evans 1R interview

  • def. Tatsuma Ito 7-5 6-1 7-6(8)

Q. The rest of the British press send their congratulations, but they have to dash out.
DANIEL EVANS: Decent.

Q. Left to me to ask you the questions. That seems to give you a lot of satisfaction at the end there?
DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, no, it was good. Obviously it's tough to get over the line. I thought he played pretty well towards the end of the match. Yeah, I mean, I thought he was going to pull out, as well. Then obviously in the third...

Q. Lot of treatment?
DANIEL EVANS: Then he looked at me quite a few times like he was going to leave. Yeah, it was difficult in the end. But I played pretty good, especially towards the end. I thought the level of the match went pretty high.

Q. Game plan? Did you have a set game plan going out there?
DANIEL EVANS: Not really. I sort of knew my game was a good matchup for him. Didn't play that great at the start. My forehand was great. I got through. That was the main thing.

Q. Was the heat a problem for you?
DANIEL EVANS: No. It was hot, though. Wasn't a problem, but it was pretty hot.

Q. All things being equal, next round, what are your thoughts on that?
DANIEL EVANS: Good opportunity. I played him at Wimbledon before. It's not very often you get to play Roger on obviously a pretty big court, I'm guessing. I look forward to it.

Q. In the past years you played through a lot of challenges. Can you compare how you feel now with last time when you broke into round of 16 in Melbourne?
DANIEL EVANS: Yeah, I feel pretty good. It's difficult to compare. Winning matches at Grand Slams is always good. I'm looking forward to my next match.

Q. Do you think you're back into your best form now?
DANIEL EVANS: Not quite. I mean, there's a few things. But, you know, I'm getting there slowly day by day.

Q. Would you say you're a more clever player now than when you had the good runs in the slams before?
DANIEL EVANS: I think I'm more mature, obviously with age and stuff. I've obviously got to try and be smarter on the court, like when I get a chance, take it straightaway. It's not ideal to be running around, especially in that heat, for hours, and I thought I did that pretty well today.