Former British No. 1 Dan Evans officially retired at Wimbledon on Wednesday, but not before launching an impassioned rant against the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) for what he described as a 'shambolic' final month of his career. Evans, 36, played his final match on Court 15 at the All England Club in front of around 300 spectators, partnering 20-year-old Henry Searle in a men's doubles first-round loss to No. 9 seeds Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, 6-2 6-4.
Evans' Career Highlights and Final Match
Evans, a former world No. 21, won two ATP titles, including the 2023 Washington Open, and was part of Britain's 2015 Davis Cup-winning squad. He also helped Andy Murray retire at the 2024 Olympic Games, where they reached the men's doubles quarter-finals on Court Suzanne-Lenglen at Stade Roland Garros, which holds around 10,000 spectators. In contrast, Evans' own farewell took place on a small outer court with limited capacity.
After announcing his retirement last month, Evans did not receive a wildcard into any pre-Wimbledon grass-court event, including Queen's and the Ilkley Challenger. He lost in the second round of Wimbledon qualifying in Roehampton last week.
Rant Against LTA and Lack of Communication
Speaking after his doubles defeat, Evans 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.'
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 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.'
Evans specifically 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. Excuse my French.'
LTA's Response and Tributes
Despite Evans' claims, the LTA celebrated his career immediately after his defeat, posting tributes on social media, including a video with well-wishes from 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.'
Andy 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' Reflections on His Career
Evans expressed his love for 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 playing 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.'
