Dan Evans launched a scathing attack on the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) after his professional career ended on Court 15 at Wimbledon in front of around 300 spectators, calling the send-off a 'shambles' and lamenting a lack of communication over wildcard decisions.
Evans' Career Ends on Court 15
The former world No. 21, who won two ATP titles including the 2023 Washington Open and helped Great Britain win the 2015 Davis Cup, retired after a 6-2, 6-4 doubles defeat alongside 20-year-old Henry Searle against No. 9 seeds Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Evans had announced his retirement last month but was denied wildcards at pre-Wimbledon grass-court events including Queen's and the Ilkley Challenger.
Frustration Over Lack of Communication
Less than an hour after stepping off court, Evans fumed: 'I just don't understand the reasoning for, and nobody has given me a decent reason. If they said, "Listen, you're a bit overweight right now." No, I'm serious. Like, "You're a bit out of shape." But nobody's had the minerals or however you want to phrase it to come over from the governing body, who I think I have done plenty for, and given me an explanation.'
He added: 'I think that's just... It's pride, isn't it? I don't know. Is that the word? And if you're not going to do that, and it's certainly not Jamie Baker's [of the All England Club] job to come and give me the reason why he didn't give me a wildcard. It's not [on] the tournament director to do that. I just think somebody could have come and, you know, sit down and spoke. Like, jeez, I paid enough. Like that's their job.'
Wildcard Controversy
Evans, 36, had long sensed a singles wildcard at SW19 was out of reach. After his second-round defeat in Wimbledon qualifying at Roehampton last week, he said: 'I can read people, and they don't say hello to you and certain things... You have a fair idea, and they keep that distance. I'm not the only one either. So I knew it wasn't coming.'
He criticised the timing of wildcard allocations: 'I have been playing tennis for 16 years on the tour, and I have always known that the wildcards aren't given out on a Monday. Monday before a ball is hit on the grass courts in Birmingham, how have the wildcards gone? We've not got a massive pool of players. So I don't care about the wildcard. Listen, I would have loved to play singles, but... We all know why that is. Don't give me some nonsense answer about they're all gone to Ilkley. Come on, guys. That's a total p*** take for me.'
LTA Response and Tributes
Despite Evans' reservations, the LTA celebrated his career on social media with a video featuring tributes from Andy Murray, Jack Draper and Tim Henman. LTA CEO Scott Lloyd said: 'On behalf of everyone involved in British tennis, I'd like to congratulate Dan on an outstanding career which includes a career-high of world No. 21, two ATP Tour titles and many defining and memorable performances for Great Britain. He never gave anything less than 100 per cent in the Davis Cup and at the Olympics. He has made a huge contribution to tennis in this country and cares deeply about the game. We wish him the best of luck as he begins the next stage of his career. We want to retain his experience within the British game and hope he will continue to contribute his passion and expertise.'
Murray also paid tribute: 'Unbelievably talented guy. Very competitive, loves to compete. He's got a good heart Evo and he absolutely loves British tennis. He's been a huge part of the Davis Cup teams over the years. He's done extremely well.'
Evans Reflects on Davis Cup and Farewell
Evans, who helped Murray bow out at the 2024 Olympic Games where they reached the men's doubles quarter-finals, said: 'I enjoyed playing Davis Cup for my country more than I can tell you. It's the best, the best thing ever. But the last month has been nothing short of a shambles from them. That's the bottom line.'
He added: 'You speak to people; you talk to people. So yeah, anyway, but listen, it's nice that you feel appreciated and that they thought I've helped in some way. Again, I don't think we should play tennis to get validation off certain, you know, people or whatever.'
Evans harboured no ill-feeling over his court allocation and said he enjoyed performing for grounds pass holders on Court 15: 'I actually messaged someone a minute ago saying it was quite cool that it was Court 15. I had never been out there. I mean, yeah, it was all a bit fitting for how the last month has gone for me. It was pretty cool that, you know, the ground passes got on, and I enjoyed every minute of it.'
