Dan Evans has never been one to shy away from speaking his mind.
The British star was recently refused a wildcard for the Queen’s Club Championships, despite recently announcing his intention to retire after Wimbledon.
British players Jack Pinnington Jones, Arthur Fery and Toby Samuel were all given wildcards ahead of Evans.
All three wildcards are currently ranked higher than Evans on the ATP Tour.
“It would have been a classy gesture to give me a wild card, but obviously that was lacking on this occasion and I was in qualifying,” Evans stated on Monday.
“I think wild cards are a good thing for Brits. I would say you hope to do enough years of service for your country to maybe get one in your last tournament at Queen’s, but that wasn’t the way they went.”
These comments have provoked a strong reaction from many tennis fans, with one calling the decision to deny Evans a wildcard ‘disgraceful.’
Tennis fans react to Dan Evans being denied a wildcard for Queen’s
“He would’ve died on court if it meant winning when representing his country. Could’ve at least given him a wildcard,” one fan said on X [formerly Twitter].
“Absolutely disgraceful,” another added. “Dan Evans was part of the team that won the Davis Cup for Great Britain in 2015.
“To treat him like that is beyond shame & Queens should be hugely embarrassed. I know I am.
Another supported Evans’ stance, pointing to the Briton’s decision to forego the points he won at the 2023 Washington Open in favour of playing double with Andy Murray on his final competitive appearance.
“He’s absolutely right,” they said. “He [Evans] skipped DC in 2024 where he was defending champ, just to play doubles with Murray at the Olympics.
“What a shame!” another exclaimed. “He deserves it so much.”
Not everyone agreed with Evans’ stance on the matter, with some pointing to his low ranking as the clear reason for being denied a wildcard.
Evans is currently ranked 244th on the Tour and has not won a main-draw match at an ATP Tour event since reaching the Washington Open round of 16 last July.
“He’s ranked 217, he doesn’t deserve it,” one tennis enthusiast stated.
“I’ve criticised Emma Raducanu for getting too many wild cards in the past because she had won a Grand Slam, but at least she’s put the work in and got her ranking into the 30’s and made two finals this year so far.
“There are far too many useless Brit’s getting Wildcards into Wimbledon every year.
“If a player wants to secure his/her position into any tournament, he/she better get a higher ranking,” another said. “Otherwise, just don’t cry because no wild card was given
Another fan offered a more balanced opinion on the matter, recognising the strong arguments of both the LTA and Evans.
“Hopefully gets one into Eastbourne before Wimbledon, it’s the least he deserves,” the fan said on social media.
“In the LTA’s defence, Fery, Samuel and Pinnington Jones have all had good years so deserved wildcards.
