Dan Evans Slams LTA Over Queen's Wildcard Snub
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Dan Evans criticised the LTA for not awarding him a main-draw wildcard for the Queen's Club HSBC Championships, saying it would have been a 'classy gesture' in his final appearance and that 'class was lacking' in the decision
- The LTA handed its main-draw wildcards to Jack Pinnington Jones, Arthur Fery and Toby Samuel, opting for younger players over the 36-year-old who was part of Britain's 2015 Davis Cup-winning team
- Evans, now ranked world No 244 after injury struggles, entered qualifying on his own merit and lost in three sets to America's Marcos Giron, despite reaching the Queen's round of 16 in 2025
- Evans is awaiting a Tuesday decision from the All England Club on a Wimbledon main-draw wildcard, having applied as a 'temporary member' of the club where he reached the third round three times
- Evans revealed he has been coaching 2023 Wimbledon boys' singles champion Henry Searle through his injury layoff and feels his work helping another Brit has meant he 'hasn't been taken seriously'
Why it matters: The LTA passed over a retiring Davis Cup winner for three younger players in his last-ever Queen's appearance, and Evans's complaint turns on a specific tension: British tennis rewarded his mentorship of the next generation by freezing him out of the main draw. With his Wimbledon wildcard still pending, the LTA now faces a public test of whether career-long contribution or current ranking decides its discretionary picks.
