Why Dan Evans retirement spells bad news for big names wanting Wimbledon wildcards including Kyrgios, Draper, Berrettini and Wawrinka

Monday, 15 June 2026 at 10:32

Dan Evans will retire after Wimbledon bringing an end to his long career where he has long been lauded as the maverick of the British game. From a drugs ban to returning to some of his best days on court and selflessly giving up the chance to defend his Washington title to give Andy Murray his send off. But his sendoff in itself could be an issue yet for big names wanting wildcards.

At the moment, unlike the women's draw which has the predicament instead of Maja Chwalińska needing a wildcard but she is instead fighting mainly British players for it, in the men's it is a wider talent pool.

Jack Draper for instance will need a wildcard at the moment if he is due to play Wimbledon and of course being one of Britain's main home hopes and a bit of a poster boy for the sport in the UK, he is bound to get one. But others less so sure. Nick Kyrgios will need one if he is due to play.

He made his comeback in Stuttgart sealing a win before he was beaten in the second round and had the stink regarding the doubles withdrawal with Alexander Bublik. Stan Wawrinka too in his final year will also require one. Grigor Dimitrov too who is less likely to receive one due to the fact that he didn't at the French Open.

Dimitrov is more likely to play qualifying, and given that Wimbledon often gives mostly to their own, it is likely that the tournament will give Draper and Evans one each, leaving only a few for the rest of the names who can't currently get in, leaving a bit of a mad scramble.

Evans is behind a huge number of Brits

Albeit Evans himself has kind of put himself to the top of a metaphorical queue. There are a lot more players who are ranked higher than him that come from the UK. Arthur Fery, Billy Harris, Jack Pinnington-Jones, Toby Samuel, Liam Broady, Felix Gill, Harry Wendelken, and Oliver Crawford would be ahead of him on the list and so they now have to fight too for wildcard spots given that Evans' retirement means that he will likely grab one.

With just eight wildcards, some big names could miss out. Kyrgios and Matteo Berrettini are likely to miss out on paper given that Stan Wawrinka is the most likely non British star to get one. Kyrgios could be brought back for entertainment factor and his final run but he has also shown in previous years that he is not always a dead cert to even play in the events.

Nick Kyrgios competing at the 2025 Indian Wells Open

Nick Kyrgios continues his comeback to tennis at the 2025 Indian Wells Open

No doubt if he doesn't, he will likely be used by broadcasters while over in the UK for punditry or commentary work if he doesn't get a spot and aim towards the US for his further comeback. But nothing is off the table.

But Evans has now made the decision a bit harder and life will not be easy for the organisers who on paper originally had to mainly juggle Chwalinska getting in somehow in the women's and the fight for the rest of those wildcards in case Serena Williams for instance wanted one late on. Now it is the men's that is the huge issue.

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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