2021 Qatar Open First Round of 16 – Dan Evans vs Roger Federer Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
Where is Dan Evans vs Roger Federer taking place? Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha, Qatar
When is Dan Evans vs Roger Federer on and what time does it start? Wednesday 9th March, 2021 – Not before 15:00 (UK)
Where can I get tickets for Dan Evans vs Roger Federer? Click here for the latest ticket information
What channel is Dan Evans vs Roger Federer on? This match will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream Dan Evans vs Roger Federer in the UK? Subscribers of Amazon Prime may be able to stream the match live via Prime Video while Tennis TV subscribers can also stream the match live
THE PREDICTION
World number 28 Dan Evans was superb from the off in his first round match against the in-form Jeremy Chardy, saving a total of 10 break points off his own serve in the first set and breaking the Frenchman twice. Though Chardy found his way back into the match to force a decider, Evans was able to rally to finish well and set-up this mouth-watering tie with his idol and friend off the court, Roger Federer. 39-year-old Federer will play his first match on tour since the semi-finals of the Australian Open last season, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. Since then a series of injury issues and a recovery from an operation have kept the Swiss out of the game for too long and his journey through 2021 should be as fascinating as it is unpredictable right now. Federer is a confessed fan of Dan Evans’ game and he watched the Brit beat Chardy on Tuesday afternoon, with few secrets between the pair already as they have spent practice sessions together.
Matches between the two in the past have been things of beauty, albeit eventually one-sided, between two of the more graceful players in the sport. Federer leads their head-to-head record 3-0 with three three-set victories at Wimbledon in 2016 and the Australian Open and US Open three years later. However, there is no question that over the last year Dan Evans has grown into the form of his career and he will consider this one of the biggest occasions on court of his life with this never-better opportunity to beat a true legend of the game. We simply do not know how well Federer will play here in his first competitive match since January 2020 and that makes this match more of a testing of the waters than a discernible, predictable event. Evans has never taken a set from Federer before but he could well race to the first one here as the world number six finds his rhythm. For want of a difficult result to fully justify either way, take these players to require a deciding set to divide them right now in what will be a match of beauty to behold. Alternatively, Evans to take the first.
