‘Heartbroken’ Dan Evans could miss Wimbledon and Olympics after injuring knee

British No 3 Dan Evans said he was “heartbroken” after slipping on the baseline of the second-string court at Queen’s Club and damaging his knee.

‌The injury could rule Evans out of Wimbledon, and also has the potential to scotch his chances of playing doubles with Andy Murray at the Olympic Games in Paris.

‌Evans declined to blame the court surface, even though his tumble came in the wake of several similar incidents on Monday, including the retirement of former world No 10 Frances Tiafoe following his own heavy fall.

‌But Evans also admitted that the timing could hardly have been worse, with the start of his showpiece home tournament less than a fortnight away.

‌“I’m heartbroken at the minute,” said Evans, who retired from his match against Brandon Nakashima with the scoreline poised at one set apiece.

‌“It’s probably the worst thing you can do on the grass. Your body goes one way, [and your leg goes the other]. We have all seen that sort of motion before. You wince if you’re watching, and you hope it’s not too bad if it’s happening to you.

‌“I heard a crack in my groin, but that seemed to be okay. I think it’s MCL [the medial collateral ligament]. There is an issue there, on the testing so far with the physios.

“I’ve got to wait 48 hours, let it settle, and then get a scan. Yeah, I’m worried. I’m in limbo a bit.

“It’s frustrating after October [when Evans tore a calf muscle in Vienna] and now this. Yeah, if I miss the Olympics or Wimbledon, it would be a tough one to swallow, no doubt.”

Murray described the development as “disappointing” after his own first-round victory at Queen’s, and highlighted the fact that three players have already hurt themselves on Court One (Evans, Tiafoe and Thanasi Kokkinakis) since the start of this event.

He also said that he would be prepared to switch Olympic doubles partners, and potentially play with either Cameron Norrie or Jack Draper, if Evans proved to be unavailable.

Meanwhile Katie Boulter also withdrew midway through her match in Birmingham against Anhelina Kalinina. Boulter called the doctor to the court late in the first set, and when asked if she was feeling fluey, she replied “Yeah, like I’m hot. It’s starting to build up into more of a cough. The last three days it’s been non-stop.”