Roddick bluffed by Evans' choice: "One of the most interesting aspects of Murray's story"

It's one of the stories of the Olympic Games.

While Andy Murray's retirement was one of the most significant events of this Olympiad, another fact should not be underestimated, without which the journey of the Scotsman, engaged only in doubles, would never have been possible.

The former world number 1's partner was Dan Evans. The 34-year-old right-hander was the defending champion in Washington, an event played at the same time as the Olympic Games. By not defending his title, Evans lost a hundred places in the ATP rankings.

Bluffed, Andy Roddick was keen to highlight the sacrifice made by the man now ranked 176th in the world: "If you want to know the story of a man who behaves like a real human being for someone else he respects and is friends with, I'll tell it to you: Dan Evans.

By not taking the opportunity to defend the points he has won, he will now be somewhere around 170th in the world in singles (176th to be exact).

That means moving up from the Grand Slams, Masters 1000s, 250s and 500s to the Challengers this autumn, or playing qualifiers for all of them.

Why make the decision not to defend the biggest title of your life? Because you want to pay homage to someone you admire and play the Olympic doubles without points, without money, with a certain Sir Andy Murray.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Murray story, apart from bidding farewell to a legend, is Dan Evans' decision."