The Dan Evans Drug Saga: how does it impact the sport?

Many times we learn from others’ mistakes, but seeing Dan Evans go through his banning may make other players stay clear of drugs. It may also cause them to take the punishment and move on.

Since Dan Evans, no. 3 British tennis player, was told that after a random drug testing he came up positive for cocaine, his personal and professional life has changed.

He held a press conference on June 23rd at a West London hotel barely two minutes long, explaining his situation of failing a drug test and that the drug wasn’t taken by him for a tennis competition, but by some incident that was unrelated.

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"“I made a mistake and I must face up to it. I can only deeply apologize from the bottom of my heart…” he says and then left without taking any questions."

He is now awaiting the WADA (World Anti-Doping Association) to state the length of his ban. Tennis associates who worked with Evans and know him are really saddened by how he has let his life spiral out of control.

"“I was quite frankly flabbergasted”, John Lloyd a retired player and former captain of the British Davis Cup had commented."

But Evans had many scrapes in his life: the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) funding twice was taken away from him after being caught drinking till early morn with his doubles partner Daniel Smethurst before they were to play a Wimbledon junior doubles match. A few years ago he also didn’t show for a Futures event and was fined $500. During that time his rankings had plummeted down to 772.

He seemed encouraged after the Britain Davis Cup win to become more diligent and start getting into better shape, practice more till he crawled up in rankings to being no. 41 in the world. Presently he is 50th but his life is in turmoil again. WADA has said that positive tests for non-specified substances like cocaine carries a ban of two to four years.

"The LTA performance director Simon Timson says “We are very disappointed at the news that Dan Evans has tested positive for a recreational substance”, knowing they helped fund his tennis career to have it be misdirected in this manner."

Other players who tested positive for cocaine include Martina Hingis, banned for two years in 2008 and then Richard Gasquet in 2009, whose sentence was reduced by a few months by the ITF (International Tennis Federation) when they ruled he had taken the drug inadvertently. In 2003 back then the British no. 1 player Greg Rusedski tested positive for nandrolone but later was cleared.

"He is now a tennis commentator/analyst for Eurosport and says of Evans’ situation that “the ban can be from six months to two years, so it’s quite a serious charge…hopefully he has good representatives that can help him out and hopefully he’ll learn his lesson”."

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At present, Dan Evans’ sponsor Ellesse clothing has dropped him. They signed him during the 2015 Australian Open when another sponsor stopped providing him with apparel and he had to buy outfits off the racks.

Everyone is waiting for WADA to make the determination of how long the ban will be, then a more definitive move as to what Evans will do can be decided. Will this put the brakes on other players thinking twice about going this route? Hopefully improvements will come in how players handle their personal and professional life and stop jeopardizing a career that they started loving and playing as a child.

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