Evans tests positive for cocaine in tennis shock

TENNIS bad boy Dan Evans last night revealed he has failed a drugs test for cocaine, leaving the British No3 facing an uncertain future in the sport.

The controversial 27-year-old called a press conference at a London hotel where he admitted he had tested positive for the stimulant in April.

It will fall on the International Tennis Federation to rule on a sentence for the world No 50, who offered no indication that he would contest the finding and said: ‘I made a mistake and I must face up to it.’

In a statement released last night, the ITF, the governing body of world tennis, said Evans had been charged over a sample given at the Barcelona Open in April and he will serve a provisional ban from Monday. Depending on the outcome of a hearing, he could face a maximum four-year ban.

As the positive test was in competition, Evans finds himself in a serious situation, with doping experts explaining to Sportsmail that the burden of proof will be on him to demonstrate he did not take cocaine for performance-enhancing reasons.

Cocaine is often dismissed as not performance-enhancing — World Anti-Doping Agency regulations state that it is banned only in competition — but French anti-doping authorities have challenged that stance amid concerns such cases are on the rise.

Former world No 1 Martina Hingis tested positive for cocaine in 2007 and was banned for two years, while the ITF sought to ban Richard Gasquet for two years when the stimulant was found in his system in 2009, but accepted he took it inadvertently on a night out.

Evans said: ‘This is a very difficult day for me. I wanted to come here in person and tell you, face to face, I was notified a few days ago that I failed a drugs test in April, where I tested positive for cocaine... this was taken out of competition and the context completely unrelated to tennis.

‘I made a mistake and I must face up to it. I can only deeply apologise from the bottom of my heart. It is a sad and humbling experience.’

LTA performance director Simon Timson said: ‘We are very disappointed at the news. We absolutely condemn any form of drug-taking.’

Evans’ career — and what may be left of it — has always been a conflict between contrasting forces, not least of which saw this old-school, all-court player of Lilliputian proportions fighting against the modern-day giants.

The defining clash, however, has been between the self-discipline required to compete at the highest level and the temptations which attach themselves to an outwardly glamorous profession.

For much of the time, the urge to sample a fair cross-section of life’s hedonistic pleasures has won out and perhaps now it will have done so decisively.

Last night’s news still comes as a shock, for over the past 18 months there had been every sign he had grown up sufficiently to understand what was required.

He had been told often enough by Andy Murray and Davis Cup captain Leon Smith that if he applied himself, his abundant natural talent would bring a lucrative and successful career.

They will feel let down, though not nearly as badly as long-standing coach Mark Hilton, who has poured so much into making him a member of the top 50.

Evans always seemed an unlikely tennis player, and not just because he has never been a member of the country-club set. His father is an electrician and his mother a nurse, and he adapted to tennis after starting out playing squash.

He may have the tattoos and a distinct Brummie accent — with a tendency towards colourful language on the court — but his game morphed into a purist’s delight. The free-flowing backhand, delicate volleys and technically excellent serve have been underpinned by a natural athleticism and tactical nous that carried him to the elite level, despite his 5ft 9in frame.

Amid a landscape of players who are often somewhat beige, he has always stood out.

This all came together in January when he reached the final of the ATP event in Sydney and made the last 16 at the Australian Open, beating world No 17 and local hero Bernard Tomic along the way.

Wearing unbranded shirts he had bought in a supermarket, he earned £172,000 in a fortnight.

During a memorable monologue in Melbourne he graphically revealed how Kevin Pietersen had snubbed his selfie request that week. He then spoke movingly about how his late former coach, Julien Hoferlin, had been right to moan about his lack of dedication earlier in his career.

Coming on the back of last September’s US Open, in which he held match point against eventual champion Stan Wawrinka, it was tempting to think this was the coming of age.

More will emerge about his positive drugs test, which he insists is a matter of him cheating himself, rather than opponents.

It came in the middle of a relentless clay-court run, which saw him lose repeatedly. He self-deprecatingly described his play on clay as ‘a pointless exercise’, and also made an outspoken attack on Aljaz Bedene’s claims to Britishness.

The extent of his drug habit is unknown but he has been, at best, a complete idiot.

The lost boy, who had seemed to be found, is lost again.