Dan Evans hasn’t been given a main draw wild card for his final Wimbledon tournament.
Instead, the Wimbledon men’s singles main draw wild cards went to Stan Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov, Jacob Fearnley, Arthur Fery, Felix Gill, Jack Pinnington Jones, Toby Samuel, and Harry Wendelken.
Evans will now need to advance through qualifying to reach the main draw, and has made a strong start, winning his first match in straight sets.
How badly treated do you feel Dan Evans has been by Wimbledon?
Jon Wertheim disagreed with Wimbledon’s decision and asked around to find out why they refused to give Evans a wild card…
Jon Wertheim heard that Dan Evans’ ‘relationship with authority’ played a role in Wimbledon wild card snub
During the latest episode of ‘Served with Andy Roddick‘, Wertheim shared his thoughts.
“I do want to spend a minute on Dan Evans and the fact that he did not receive a main draw wild card,” he said.
“This is just mystifying to me.
“Here is a guy who is probably one of the top five British players of the last 25 years or so, has been inside the top 25, and won titles.
Dan Evans’ career highlights
- Career-high rank – 21st
- ATP Titles – 2 (2021 Murray River Open, 2023 Washington Open)
- Best Grand Slam performance – 4R (2021 US Open)
- Best Masters 1000 performance – SF (2021 Monte Carlo Masters, 2022 Canadian Open)
- Best Davis Cup performance – W (2015)
- Top-10 wins – 6 (Dominic Thiem, Marin Cilic, John Isner, Novak Djokovic, Andrey Rublev, Frances Tiafoe)
“Remember, he did not try to defend his Washington DC title two years ago, so he could join with Andy Murray and try to win an Olympic medal for the UK.
“I don’t get this one for the life of me.”
Wertheim shared what he’s heard behind the scenes about why Wimbledon didn’t give Evans a main draw wild card.
“I poked around and there were a number of responses I got,” he said.
“One of them was, ‘Dan Evans is in his mid-30s, we want these wild cards to go to younger players’, do we though?
“Stan Wawrinka, north of age 40, got a wild card.
“Grigor Dimitrov, a rough contemporary of Dan Evans, got a wild card, and now we have a 44-year-old Serena Williams.
“This is not to say that Serena Williams and Dan Evans have had comparable careers, but I think the age justification wears thin.
“I was told that Dan Evans has had an on-again, off-again relationship with authority, and he’s sometimes been difficult. Is this really the player you want to reward?
“I would say yes, it is.
“Here is a player who has wrung a lot from his talent. A son of an electrician, he stands for this archetype: you don’t need to be privileged to make it as a pro tennis player.
“Someone else suggested that Dan Evans had a drug suspension in his past. That is true, it was for Cocaine, it was nearly a decade ago.
“You know what Dan Evans said when he tested positive?
“‘I’m disappointed in myself, I’m disgusted in myself’.
“For all the alibis and mama’s pasta water and all the other excuses players have proffered, here is a guy who was accountable and took ownership.”
Despite hearing various stories, Wertheim still couldn’t understand why Evans didn’t receive a wild card.
“He’s in his mid-30s; he’s in the qualifying draw; this is not like he’s ranked number 1,000 and risks embarrassing himself; he’s slot number 70 in the qualifying draw,” said Wertheim.
“I think this is a real unforced error by Wimbledon, and I cannot figure out for the life of me why Dan Evans, playing his final year on tour, British player, everything from his compelling back story to his one-handed backhand, a lot of reasons to give him a wild card, it’s kind of mystifying that he was denied.”
Evans missed out on a wild card, but can still qualify for the main draw on his final visit to SW19.
Who does Dan Evans need to beat to qualify for Wimbledon?
Evans made light work of Bolivia’s Juan Carlos Prado Angelo, 7-6, 6-3, to reach the second round of qualifying.
Dan Evans vs Juan Carlos Prado Angelo – Match stats
| Stats | Dan Evans | Juan Carlos Prado Angelo |
| Aces | 4 | 6 |
| Double faults | 2 | 3 |
| 1st Serve % | 59% | 66% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 78% | 67% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 58% | 47% |
| Break point | 4/7 | 2/8 |
He will now prepare to play Australia’s Tristan Schoolkate, the world number 147.
Evans would then meet either Nicolas Mejia or Gustavo Heide in the final round of qualifying.
The 35-year-old will resume his qualifying campaign on Wednesday, June 24.
