Dan Evans, the former British no. 1, will receive a wildcard entry into the Wimbledon men’s singles draw later this month.
The 35-year-old recently reclaimed control of the top 200, following two days in which the former world number 21 recorded his most impressive victory in two years.
Petra Kvitova, a two-time women’s singles champion, has also received a wildcard, which are awarded to players who are not ranked high enough for direct entry.
The only non-British player named in the first batch of wildcards announced on Wednesday is Czech ex-world number two Kvitova.
The main draw also includes the adolescent winners Hannah Klugman, the French Open girls’ finalist earlier this month, and Mika Stojsavljevic, the US Open girls’ champion last year.
Jodie Burrage, Harriet Dart, Francesca Jones, and Heather Watson will all be there, but Lois Boisson, who lost in the French Open semi-final, is not.
Evans was rewarded for refusing to “quest” for a wildcard.
Evans, a renowned British player, stated last year that he didn’t want to be “coming back to ask” for a Wimbledon wildcard.
However, the All England Club has given the world number 199 merit for his persistent efforts on the lower-tier ATP Challenger Tour.
Evans has vowed to maintain his belief that he still qualifies for the top 100 rankings, which are sufficient to grant him entry to the sport’s four Grand Slam competitions.
He showed his faith in the impressive victory over Frances Tiafoe, who is 13th overall, on Monday.
“I’m the first to talk about wildcards,” I said. Not just a week or a match, either. After defeating former US Open semi-finalist Tiafoe, Evans said, “It’s about what you do 52 weeks of the year.”
“Tennis is not just about the British grass court season. There are other tournaments as well, which is wonderful because of our amazing lineup of events.
Who else has a wildcard been sent?
Seven of the top ten players in the world of singles, including Billy Harris, Emma Raducanu, Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal, Jacob Fearnley, Cameron Norrie, and Jack Draper, have a high ranking that qualifies them for direct entry into the 128-player draw.
Seven British men’s players received wildcards on Wednesday, with one more spot to be confirmed over the course of the next two weeks.
Wildcards for men’s singles are Henry Searle, Oliver Crawford, Dan Evans, George Loffhagen, Johannus Monday, Jack Pinnington Jones, and Jay Clarke.
A third promising teenager, 17-year-old Welsh player Mimi Xu, joins Stojsavljevic and Klugman as all eight wildcards were announced in the women’s draw.
Women’s singles wildcards include Mimi Xu, Heather Watson, Harriet Dart, Francesca Jones, Petra Kvitova, Jodie Burrage, and Francesca Jones.
The Wimbledon committee has the final say in which wildcards to use.
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Source: BBC
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