ANDY MURRAY will not be starting the defence of his US Open crown today, but his presence will be felt.
The Scotsman may not appear until Wednesday - the opening round of the men's draw is over three days - but when British No.2 Dan Evans today faces Japanese No.11 seed Kei Nishikori, the Murray effect will be with him.
Evans, and the rest of the British players, only have to look at the sweat, toil and dedication applied by the reigning Wimbledon champion to realise some of what it takes to reach the top echelons.
It is not easy. No-one ever said it was. But Evans, 23, has never made it simple for himself. A string of misdemeanours have had coaches at the LTA tearing out their hair for years. To say the Birmingham native had trouble keeping his eye on the prize is putting it mildly.
Leon Smith, head of men's tennis, however, knew there was talent hiding behind a lack of focus. His performances in a Davis Cup team skippered by Smith said as much, as have two recent final appearances in Canada. And the 23-year-old has come through qualifying in a grand slam for the first time to reach the main draw.
Something seems to have clicked inside his head. Watching Murray scale the heights has been key.
"He's definitely helped everyone," said Evans. "There's a better feeling in British tennis. God knows how he felt, but it lifted a weight off everyone. The burden was out the way. Definitely me, and the younger ones as well, have started to do better since Wimbledon. Kyle Edmund did well in the second week of Wimbledon and has just won a tournament in Italy. There have been good results from the other guys as well. I don't know if that's coincidence, but I wouldn't have thought so."
Murray took yesterday off from his preparations to take on Michael Llodra in his first-round match, but gave his backing to Evans, scheduled to start at around 4pm UK time.
"We don't play the same tournaments, don't train in the same place, so it's tough to see all his matches," said Murray. "But I have watched some of his matches on the internet, or watched some of his matches in the challengers in the last few weeks, and he seems to be playing better tennis.
"It's quite clear. He's consistently playing at a high level, whereas before he was probably doing it for a few weeks a year. He's strung it together now for a couple of months. If he can maintain that form for eight, nine months of the year, then he will get himself up and around the top 100 for sure.
"It's a very tough match, obviously, but he's not going to get hit off the court. It's not like playing John Isner, for example, where he won't have a say in the match. He will get into a lot of service games. They both move very well. They're similar heights and builds. They're both quick.
"There will be some good rallies. It will be a tough match, but I'm sure he'll learn a lot, regardless of the result. He will be confident in himself. He's won a lot of matches lately, and he's won three matches on this surface here. People think sometimes playing a qualifier is a good draw, but it isn't always the case because they are used to the conditions.
"It's great that Dan has managed to qualify. It's a big moment for him, qualifying for your first grand slam. I remember how that felt. It was a big achievement, and I hope he can kick on from here."
While the likes of Evans try to make a name for themselves, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal remain among the biggest draws in the game. Both begin their campaigns today, Federer against Grega Zemlja of Slovenia, while Nadal takes on Ryan Harrison, the big-serving hope of American tennis.
Harrison, buoyed by a home crowd desperate to see one of their own produce the goods, could pose the resurgent Spaniard a few problems. Yet, in all probability, the prospect of the two former world No.1s meeting in the last eight should be realised.
Whether Federer will have enough to repel Nadal, who beat him in Cincinnati last week, remains to be seen. The Swiss's star is fading - an eight-week stretch that began in June with a second-round exit at Wimbledon has led to the 17-time major winner slip from No.3 to No.7 in the world - his lowest ranking since October 2002. Naturally, Federer refuses to believe his time is up - even if Nadal is lurking.
"I think it's an exciting draw with Rafa being nearby," he said. "I really hope from my side that I can make it. That's really my focus there. But clearly when I come here I don't want to just try and make the quarters. I am here to win the tournament."
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