Dan Evans lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to Marcos Giron in the qualifying rounds of the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club after being denied a main draw wildcard. The 36-year-old, who announced his retirement from professional tennis following Wimbledon this summer, expressed disappointment at the Lawn Tennis Association's decision not to grant him direct entry. Instead, the LTA awarded wildcards to younger British players Jack Pinnington Jones, Arthur Fery and Toby Samuel. Evans, a former British No 1 and member of the 2015 Davis Cup-winning team, entered qualifying last minute and was given a wildcard into that stage of the tournament. He had reached the round of 16 at Queen's the previous year. Ranked world No 244 due to ongoing injury issues, Evans said it would have been a "classy gesture" to receive a main draw pass in his final season. "I think wildcards are a good thing for Brits," Evans said. "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." He acknowledged the LTA's right to prioritise emerging players but remained vocal about the missed opportunity for recognition. His defeat to Giron ended his chances of a farewell run at the grass-court event.
Evans' exclusion from the main draw despite his Davis Cup history and prior performance at Queen's exposes a disconnect between legacy and selection policy. The LTA's choice to back unproven players over a retiring veteran raises questions about how it values past contributions to British tennis. No Nigerian or African player featured in the event.
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