Former British No. 1 Dan Evans delivered a blistering critique of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) following his final match at Wimbledon, describing the closing month of his career as a 'shambles' and accusing the governing body of failing to communicate with him.
Emotional farewell on Court 15
Evans, 36, partnered 20-year-old Henry Searle in the men's doubles, losing 6-2, 6-4 to No. 9 seeds Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. The match took place on Court 15 before an audience of around 300 spectators—a stark contrast to the 10,000 who watched his friend Andy Murray's farewell at the 2024 Olympics. Evans, who had previously coached Searle during an injury lay-off, was visibly emotional as he left the court.
Wildcard controversy
Evans retired last month but was not granted a wildcard into any grass-court warm-up events, including Queen's and the Ilkley Challenger. He also knew a singles wildcard at Wimbledon was unlikely. After his second-round qualifying defeat at Roehampton, he remarked: '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.'
Within an hour of his final match, Evans criticised the LTA for their lack of transparency. He said: '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, you know.'
Communication breakdown
Evans emphasised that the All England Club's tournament director, Jamie Baker, was not responsible for explaining wildcard decisions. He argued: 'It's not 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. And that's all.'
He also questioned why wildcards for the Ilkley Challenger were allocated before the Monday of the tournament week. '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.'
Coaching role overlooked
Evans suggested his coaching of Searle may have been held against him. 'If they turned around and say, "Listen, you've hardly played". But it was, like, "You're a coach, you're not getting one". No, I was out there helping another Brit when I've been injured. I didn't see any of those guys out there helping Henry when he needed help.'
He added that no LTA official had congratulated him on his career during the Wimbledon week. 'No one spoke to me this week. No one has congratulated me on my career this week, yeah.'
LTA response and tributes
Despite Evans' comments, the LTA praised his career on social media, sharing a video with 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.'
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 pride
Despite his anger, Evans expressed pride in representing his country. '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 had no complaints about his court allocation, noting: 'I actually messaged someone a minute ago saying it was quite cool that it was Court 15. I had never been out there... it was all a bit fitting for how the last month has gone for me.'
