Dan Evans and Andy Murray Stage a Dramatic Comeback to Keep Their Olympic Gold Hopes Alive in Tokyo

Playing alongside Andy Murray at the Olympics on Sunday was easily one of the highlights of my career. Winning our first-round match was a huge boost, but let me tell you, it was quite a rollercoaster.

After the match, we hopped on the bus back to the Athletes’ Village, and honestly, we couldn’t stop laughing. The stadium was buzzing because we managed to turn things around from a 9-4 deficit in the tie-break.

Most people would have thrown in the towel at that point, but not Andy. He’s just not that kind of player.

Andy isn’t like most players. He’s the greatest British tennis player of my generation, and you can’t just count him out. Even when he seems intense on court, there’s a calmness and control about him when he’s playing.

His confidence is something else—it feels like he’s got everything under control, no matter what.

Matches like that are draining, both physically and emotionally.

We haven’t talked much about it, but with the speculation around Andy’s retirement, it’s hard not to think about it.

He’s one of the greatest British athletes ever, and that’s always in the back of your mind.

With Andy, the media scrutiny is a bit more intense, but that’s part of being a top player. After our match, we had some chicken and rice, got treated, and then jumped into an ice bath to recover.

The adrenaline from a match like that makes it hard to wind down, so I headed to the canteen for a late-night snack. Pasta was on the menu, and I finally hit the sack around 1:30 a.m.

The Athletes’ Village is bustling—like a mini-town with a supermarket, beauty salon, and everything else you might need.

Missing the Tokyo Olympics due to Covid made this experience even more special for me.

In the regular tennis circuit, you don’t often get to hang out with athletes from other sports. I was chatting with some trampolining team members the other day, and we all gathered around to watch the Brits on TV.

One of my favorite sports is boxing, so I went to see Charley Davison in the bantamweight competition on Saturday night. It was tough seeing her lose, especially knowing how much it meant to her and her supporters.

Four years of hard work, over in just nine minutes—it’s the harsh reality of sports. But then you see someone having the best day of their life, and it makes it all worth it.

Andy and I are back in action today, and we’re aiming to build some momentum. I lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the singles yesterday, but that wasn’t my main focus.

I even considered withdrawing after injuring myself earlier in the week, but representing Great Britain at the Olympics means too much to me.

Andy’s had a day to recover, so we’re hoping to start strong today.

While the post-competition parties look tempting, we’re not quite ready to join in just yet!

I skipped the opening ceremony boat parade because of my match the next day.

Seeing everyone come back drenched confirmed that I made the right call!