Wales’ Evan wins Wimbledon ‘wildcard’

Wales’ number 1 tennis player Evan Hoyt has made it into the men’s doubles tournament at Wimbledon having received a wildcard along with his doubles partner  Luke Johnson.

Evan who started having lessons at Llanelli Tennis and Squash club* and showed early promise had played in mini tennis tournaments from the age of six and quickly advanced to South Wales development squads.

At 12 he left Llanelli, the town he still calls home, to attend the Reed’s School Tennis Academy in Surrey.

He had helped Great Britain win the Junior Davis Cup for the first time in 2011 and his tennis career looked promising.

In 2017 Hoyt, then 24, suffered a serious shoulder injury which forced him out for 18 months before bouncing back into the world’s top 500.

Just hours after defeat at the Wimbledon singles qualifying tournament, Welsh Tennis number one Evan Hoyt was awarded a wildcard into the main draw of the men’s doubles tournament.

Owen Morgan writes:

Hoyt’s Wimbledon dreams seemed to be in tatters after he suffered a hard fought straight sets singles defeat at the hands of Brazil’s Rogerio Dutra Silva at Roehampton on Monday afternoon.

However, on Monday evening the Wimbledon website confirmed Hoyt and his regular doubles partner Luke Johnson had been awarded one of the remaining doubles wildcards directly into the main draw for this year’s tournament which starts next Monday.

There had been surprise that British pairing Hoyt and Johnson had missed out on the initial round of doubles wildcards and many tennis pundits had taken to social media to argue their case.

Now they will line up in the main men’s doubles draw at the most prestigious tennis tournament on the planet.

So far this year, Hoyt has won three doubles ITF World Tour titles, two of them in tandem with Johnson. The 24-year-old Welshman has also won three singles tournaments this year.

Last season Hoyt and Johnson also teamed up to win an ITF Futures event in Tunisia – one of six doubles titles won by Hoyt during 2018 following his return after an 18-month long lay-off from tennis due to a serious shoulder injury.

This will be the right-hander’s first senior appearance in the main draw at the home of tennis. His previous competitive appearance coming as a junior when he was a doubles semi-finalist.

Hoyt and Johnson are currently ranked sixth and seventh in the doubles top 10 of the ITF World Tennis Tour – the tier between the junior and elite levels of the sport.

*Founded in 1909 by a team of professional tennis players Llanelli Tennis and Squash Club is based in one of the most picturesque areas of the town and is ideal for family membership.

The club is run by volunteers and prides itself on its friendly atmosphere. They have a tennis coaching programme and mini, junior and adult teams playing in local leagues. There is  pay to play tennis available for non-members. The club also has squash coaching available and fitness sessions are held for ladies and men. The club runs the very successful Llanelli Open tournament each year where visitors are encouraged to camp with them for the week.

Photos: ©Owen Morgan