Such affinity made Evans a natural choice to be the ATP’s first director of public relations. Offered the job at the 1973 US Open, Evans soon became the ATP’s European director, for three years playing a major role in upgrading how many of those events were run. Soon after, he was elected to the ATP board, a spot he held from 1977-’79. Around that time, Evans returned to journalism.
The number of stories Evans has written number in the thousands. He has also worked as a commentator such outlets as the BBC, and authored more than 20 books. Several are epic histories, from the Davis Cup to the overall history of the game, to a nuanced look at the first two decades of Open tennis. There are deep dives into two controversial stars, John McEnroe and Ilie Nastase. Others are collaborations, Evans partnering with the likes of Marty Riessen, Allen Fox, Bill Norris—and his fellow Class of ‘24 inductee, Vijay Amritraj—to bring their stories to life.
In addition to tennis, Evans covered a great many political events, including the Vietnam War, and Senator Robert Kennedy’s presidential campaign.
Speaking about his passion for journalism, Evans said earlier this year in an International Tennis Hall of Fame interview,
I think all journalists, we want to tell people things they don’t know. That’s our job. That’s what we do. Richard Evans
