Andy Murray is backing Dan Evans to make life difficult for Roger Federer on Centre Court today and prove he can live with the very best.
A little more than a year ago Evans was an also-ran languishing below 700 in the rankings but he is set to climb into the 70s thanks to his march into the third round.
Evans’ victory over 30th-seed Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets yesterday earned him a meeting with seven-times champion Federer.
Murray is delighted to see the 26-year-old realising his potential and said: “Dan might have made a few bad decisions in the past but he’s always had the ability to play at the top.
"I don’t know if a switch went off in his head last year but to go from being below 700 to 91 only happens through hard work.
“The other reason Dan is going to keep moving up the rankings is because he’s really good - and the more you play at this level, the better you get.
"Dan certainly won’t be the favourite against Roger but he can cause him problems.”
Evans broke into the top 100 after winning a Challenger title in Taiwan in May and is set to reach a career-high 72nd.
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He accepts there were mistakes in the past and said: “When I was a bit younger I did not think I was ready to play professional tennis. I let a lot of people down.
"Gradually the message got through but it took a few knocks at the door.”
