Evans and Ward net Aegon Championships wild cards
Originally published on 20/05/14
Evans, 23, is second in the British rankings behind Andy Murray while 27-year-old Ward is in third place. They will be joined in south-west London from June 9-15 by 2006 Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis, who has also been given a wild card.
“Marcos, Dan and James are all excellent additions to the Aegon Championships line-up,” said tournament director Ross Hutchins. “Marcos is still one of the most popular players with tennis fans, and although his ranking has suffered because of injury in recent years, he remains capable of beating the best players in the world.
“Dan and James have both had good results at The Queen’s Club in recent years and we look forward to welcoming them in June.”
Ward reached the semi-finals at Queen’s in 2011 and has posted impressive Davis Cup results for Great Britain recently along with Evans, who made the last 32 of the US Open last year and the last four in Zagreb in February.
Former world No.8 Baghdatis has enjoyed success on grass in the past, beating Wimbledon champions Andy Murray and Lleyton Hewitt on his way to the semi-finals in 2006.
The trio will join defending champion Murray, world No.6 Tomas Berdych, 2011 runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, world No.12 Grigor Dimitrov and four-time winner Hewitt in the field.
Leon Smith, Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain, said, “Dan is a very good grass court player and is capable of beating much higher ranked players on this surface. He is quick, has good hand skills and is confident at the net. All good attributes for grass court tennis. He had a terrific run at the US Open and reached his first ATP Tour semi-finals at the Zagreb Open in February which served as another reminder of his ability at Tour level.
“James has good grass court experience and has previously reached the semi-finals of the Aegon Championships. He also played a pivotal role in Great Britain's Davis Cup run to the World Group quarter-finals this year including a brilliant five-set victory against Sam Querrey in the tie against the USA.”
On finals day, the Aegon Championships will stage a mixed doubles match involving Murray and Hutchins as part of Rally For Bally, with proceeds split between the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis and the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
To donate visit www.justgiving.com/RallyForBally.
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