Vienna, Austria – In a shocking turn of events, British tennis sensation Dan Evans was forced to retire due to a severe calf injury during his match against Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday in Vienna. The unfortunate incident casts doubts on his participation in the upcoming Davis Cup quarter-finals, where he was expected to represent Great Britain.
Evans, currently ranked as the world No 35, had been comfortably leading 4-1 in the first set when disaster struck. He suddenly pulled up, clutching his calf in agony after experiencing a sharp pain. Despite seeking immediate medical attention, it was apparent that the injury was severe. A visibly disappointed Evans had no choice but to withdraw from the match. This marks only the second tour-level retirement of his career.
The timing of Evans’ injury couldn’t have been worse for the British Davis Cup team. The injury raises uncertainty about his availability for the Davis Cup quarter-final clash against Serbia, which is scheduled for next month. Evans had been anticipated to partner with world doubles No 4 Neal Skupski in Malaga, making Captain Leon Smith’s first-choice line-up uncertain.
Meanwhile, in another tennis upset, Heather Watson faced an early exit from the Abierto Tampico event in Mexico. Watson claimed the first set 6-4, but Ann Li, ranked 50 places below Watson at 156, roared back, winning the second set 6-1 and the decider 6-3.
In a separate development, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals in Cancun witnessed an unexpected change as world No 8 Karolina Muchova had to withdraw from the tournament due to a right wrist injury. First alternate Maria Sakkari of Greece will replace her in the prestigious season-ending event. Muchova had qualified for the WTA Finals as the eighth player after reaching the finals of the Cincinnati Open and the semi-finals of the US Open, losing to American Coco Gauff on both occasions.
In a statement, Muchova expressed her regret over the decision, saying, “Together with the team and doctors, we tried everything until the last moment to resolve my wrist injury. Unfortunately, the time needed for the recovery is longer than we would’ve hoped for, and therefore I had to make this unpleasant decision.”
As a result of Muchova’s withdrawal, ninth-ranked Maria Sakkari will participate in her third consecutive WTA Finals, which are set to commence this Sunday. Last year, Sakkari reached the semi-finals in this prestigious tournament. Tennis enthusiasts can follow these developments and more on the Sky Sports website and app, offering live scores, reports, analysis, and features on the world of tennis.
