Happy Wimbledon season to all who celebrate! So, let's get to the point: who is Dan Evans, and why has he captivated all of tennis's attention?

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1. He’s the comeback king.

Dan Evans just snagged his first Wimbledon main-draw win since 2021, beating fellow Brit Jay Clarke. He had a 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 win over Clarke to make it to the second round at SW19.

It wasn’t just a win; it was emotional redemption after a brutal grass-court season.

Evans was quoted as saying, “Today meant everything. Wild card vs wild card but that was one of the top wins in my career. You look ahead to the grass court season, you know what’s coming and I had no wins. I don’t want to be that person asking for a wild card when I didn’t deserve it. I really needed wins, and feeling like I deserved it – not for the wild card but for myself.”

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2. He once beat Djokovic.

Evans defeated Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo back in 2021. He won 6-4, 7-5 in Monaco against the Serbian star.

As he gears up to face Novak again on Centre Court this week, that stat is giving British fans serious hope.

3. He doesn't play in a typical way.

Standing at 5’9’’ with a slice-dominant single-hander, he has a unique style of playing.

4. He bounced back from a lot.

From suspensions to slumps, Evans’ career has seen plenty of setbacks.

In his younger days, Evans had his funding stopped twice by the Lawn Tennis Association due to his off-court behavior. In 2017, Evans had a one-year ban after testing positive for [censored].

But at 35, he’s still here, gritting through draws, and making crowds believe again.

5. He’s been ranked as high as world No. 21.

His 2023 peak ranking-- a career-high rank of No. 21-- shows he’s more than a wildcard underdog. Evans has had serious chops on the ATP tour.

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6. He’s not afraid to show emotion.

At this year’s pressers, he got visibly choked up talking about low moments and the emotional grind of tennis. He was quoted as saying, "To start losing, it's scary at the end of the day to know sometimes you're not good enough. It's not an easy thing in sport to not be good enough. I don't know why I'm so emotional about it."

7. He’s part of a British tennis wave.

With Jack Draper and Cam Norrie also through, Evans is fueling Britain’s best Wimbledon men’s performance in decades. The crowds are captivated, and the energy is high.