Britain’s Dan Evans retires from professional tennis
• 3 minute read
Dan Evans has officially retired from professional tennis following his exit from the Wimbledon men’s doubles alongside Henry Searle.
British duo Evans and Searle lost to ninth seeds Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the final match of the British legend’s career.
"It's emotional, isn't it," Evans told the BBC after his match. "You just think of your family and all the sacrifices.
"I was one of the lucky few who got to play here (Wimbledon). Everything was worth it in the end. Anyone thinking about putting the work in, it's worth it."
LTA Chief Executive, Scott Lloyd, added: "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% 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."
Here, we take a look back at Evans’ impressive tennis career and his biggest highlights throughout the years.
The early days
Growing up in the Hall Green area of Birmingham with his father, David, and his mother, Bernadette, and his two sisters, Clare and Laura, Evans took time to rise to the top of his class in the local area.
His improvement under coaches Mark Taylor and Leighton Alfred at the LTA Academy at Loughborough gave Evans a glimpse of what might be possible and started to make progress in the junior ranks.
In 2004, he was part of the Great Britain U14 Boys team who won the World Junior Tennis title, and Evans won the 16U boys title at the LTA’s Junior Nationals in 2006. Two years later, the moment came for him to turn professional.
Evans made his debut at the LTA’s Queen’s Club tournament and the Nottingham Open as he found his feet on the senior tour and then won titles on the ITF Futures circuit in that opening year as a professional.
A first ATP Challenger title arrived in Jersey in 2009, with his Wimbledon debut coming that summer as he lost against No.11 seed Nikolay Davydenko. Later that year, Evans made his Davis Cup debut in the tie against Poland.
Rising through the rankings
Evans made his breakthrough in 2013, scoring his second top-100 win to help GB qualify for the Davis Cup World Group Play Offs, coming from 0-2 down to beat Russia 3-2 in Coventry.
Later that summer he reached two Challenger finals in North America ahead of qualifying for the US Open where he reached the third round falling to top-20 player Tommy Robredo in four hard fought sets.
However, it was a few years later that he'd break into the top-100 after winning an ATP Challenger in Taiwan in 2016.
His rise was highlighted by his ranking progression as he finished 2015 ranked at No.183 and by the end of the following year, he had leapt up to No.66.
During this period from 2015-2020, Evans was coached by Mark Hilton, LTA Men's National Coach.
A first ATP Tour final was secured in 2017 at the Sydney International, losing against Gilles Muller from the Netherlands, with his second final on the senior tour coming in 2019 at the Delray Beach Open, losing against Moldova’s Radu Albot in a third set tie-break.
His maiden ATP Tour title was secured in 2021 at the Murray River Open in Australia, as he beat Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final.
Then the biggest title of his career arrived in 2023, when he won the ATP 500 Washington Open, beating Tallon Griekspoor from the Netherlands in the final.
That win helped him to secure a career-high ATP ranking of No.21 in August 2023.
Beating the best
Clay courts weren't his best surface, but his finest win may have come on the red dirt in Monte-Carlo.
His win against world No.1 Novak Djokovic was a memorable snapshot on a day when he outfought one of the great battlers of the game to seal victory.
He also recorded wins against Dominic Thiem, Marin Cilic, John Isner and Frances Tiafoe when they were ranked in the top 10 of the ATP rankings, while his epic 6-7(6), 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4 in victory against Karen Khachanov at the 2024 US Open is etched into the record books as the longest match in the history of the New York event, concluding after five hours and 35 minutes.
Evans also came alive on grass courts, with his title triumphs in front of vocal home fans at the LTA’s Nottingham Open in 2018 and 2022 and his victory in the 2019 Surbiton Trophy backed up by three runs to the third round at Wimbledon in 2016, 2019 and 2021.
Davis Cup warrior
Evans always lifted his game to new levels when he represented his country in the Davis Cup.
A fine win against Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko in 2012 helped to seal victory in the tie and he produced more big singles wins the following year in ties against Croatia and Russia.
He was also part of Great Britain’s successful 2015 Davis Cup team and played two singles matches in the semi-final tie against Australia in Glasgow.
His passion for playing in the Davis Cup remained undimmed through to his final match in September 2024.
His epic doubles win alongside Neal Skupski in the 2023 tie against France in Manchester fired Great Britain through to the finals in Malaga.
The atmosphere generated amid the 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6) win over Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin will never be forgotten by those who experienced it, with Evans’ delight as the final point was won epitomising what representing his country meant to him.
Evans finishes his career with a record of 14 singles wins and four doubles triumphs in the Davis Cup, and having played 28 ties is second on the all-time list of ties played for Great Britain.
Grand Slam wins & the Olympics
His big breakthrough at a Grand Slam tournament came in 2013, when he reached the third round at the US Open and his first win in the main draw at Wimbledon arrived with a victory against Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in 2016.
His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments came at the US Open, with a run to the fourth round in 2021, complemented by six appearances in the third round at Flushing Meadows.
Evans added another magical moment to his career in the summer of 2024 when he teamed up with Andy Murray in his final matches as a professional player at the Paris Olympic Games.
The duo produced a couple of battling wins, but lost out in the quarter-finals as they were denied the chance to challenge for a medal.
What comes next?
His decision to call time on his career after Wimbledon presents an opportunity for him to explore new horizons and he may have a new challenge in tennis still to write.
Evans has been training with Britain’s 2023 Wimbledon Junior Boys’ singles champion Searle, as he continues his evolution in the professional ranks.
“I want to give back to somebody from my sort of area,” said Evans, as he spoke about his work with Searle. “There's something about him that excites me. I think he's got a decent chance.”
With Searle offering Evans a chance to develop a new focus in tennis, there may still be more chapters of his story in the sport to be written.
