Dan will get full support if he cleans up his act
DAN eVANS will get the full support of British tennis when he comes back from his cocaine ban — possibly extending to tournament wildcard entries — providing he adheres to strict guidelines.
The former GB No 2’s year-long suspension ends on April 23, and Lawn Tennis Association bosses have already held talks with him about his return to the game and how they might help.
According to performance director Simon Timson, that will all depend on him getting back in proper shape for the match court and displaying suitable signs that there will be no repeat of his errant behaviour.
‘We’ve been really clear with Dan that there are some things that he needs to do,’ said Timson. ‘he appears very committed to getting back to playing at the level he was prior to his suspension. We don’t condone doping in any way, shape or form and we’ve taken a very firm line on that with Dan. At the same time I think that everybody deserves a second chance.
‘We have a duty of care to our players to support them in the right ways for the right reasons. We’ve agreed a programme with Dan of what he needs to do and I think if he commits to that we will support and monitor his progress with it, and when the time is right we’ll start to talk about his tournament schedule.
‘We don’t condone anything he’s done but we want to help him get himself and his career back on track and that may or may not include discussions about wildcards when the time is right.’
The LTA set a high-profile precedent last year when they offered Maria Sharapova a privileged entry to the WTA event in Birmingham on her comeback from a 15-month ban for testing positive for meldonium, which she was ultimately unable to take up due to injury.
So they have little option but to help evans, whose use of cocaine appears to have been entirely recreational rather than performance-enhancing.
The governing body are set to announce a new sponsor for the prestigious Queen’s Club Championships by the end of the month, although there is still no sign of a backer for pre-Wimbledon tournaments such as Birmingham or eastbourne.
The LTA also admitted yesterday that they are currently undecided about which way to vote on proposals to reduce the Davis Cup to a one-week annual competition, with the ATP Tour considering whether to set up a rival World Cup of Tennis that could take place in Australia every January.