Tennis fans are expressing their sympathies for Lorenzo Musetti after the World No.15 announced his withdrawal from Wimbledon. And there’s surprise and anger that retiring players Dan Evans and Gael Monfils haven’t been granted singles wildcards.
Musetti announced on Wednesday that he won’t be playing Wimbledon due to a thigh injury that also forced him to miss the French Open. “Rehabilitation is going very well and the medical results are encouraging,” the Italian said.
Lorenzo Musetti’s (R) wretched injury run has continued, while Stan Wawrinka (L) got a Wimbledon wildcard but Gael Monfils didn’t. Image: Getty
“Unfortunately, as I have not yet been able to begin a full athletic training program, and after careful evaluation, we have come to the difficult conclusion that I will not be able to participate in Wimbledon this year. It is not an easy decision, but it is the right one. My priority is to return to the court at 100 per cent.”
Musetti made the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2024, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. His withdrawal continues a wretched run this year after he was forced to retire hurt while leading Djokovic by two sets in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open. He’s been replaced in the main draw by fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini, who’s coming off a run to the quarters at Roland Garros.
Lorenzo Musetti made the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2024.
(Clive Brunskill)
Dan Evans snub sparks Wimbledon controversy
Meanwhile, Wimbledon officials have finalised their wildcards for the grass-court grand slam, controversially snubbing local player Evans in his final tournament before retiring. Evans announced earlier this week that he’ll retire from professional tennis after Wimbledon.
A former World No.21, Evans is currently down at 224th in the rankings, meaning he needed a wildcard to play at the All England Club. He was given one for doubles, but was controversially overlooked for singles.
Dan Evans wasn’t given a singles wildcard for Wimbledon.
(Clive Brunskill)
Frenchman Monfils was another high-profile player to miss out in his final year before retirement, but Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov were granted one each. Like Evans, Nick Kyrgios has missed out on a singles wildcard but got a doubles one.
Serena and Venus Williams got a doubles wildcard and will play together, while French Open finalist Maya Chwalinska rightly got one for singles. The last two singles wildcards went to British players Harry Wendelken and Felix Gill, after the first wave of spots went to Jacob Fearnley, Arthur Fery, Jack Pinnington Jones, Toby Samuel, Harriet Dart, Katie Swan, Alicia Dudeney, Mika Stojsavljevic, Mimi Xu and Hannah Klugman.
The biggest talking point is Evans’ singles snub. The 36-year-old helped Great Britain win the Davis Cup in 2015 and teamed up with Andy Murray for the Scot’s last ever tournament at the Paris Olympics in 2024. He’s a British fan favourite, and fans are fuming he won’t be playing singles at Wimbledon one final time.
