The career of Dan Evans, British No 3 tennis player, is in danger following his testing positive for cocaine. He now faces the maximum of a four-year ban. At 27, the very future of his career will be in danger. At a press conference, Evans managed to read out a 90-second statement regarding his drug-related problem before fleeing the scene. Questions were not invited. “This is a very difficult day for me,” said Evans. “It is really important that you know this was taken out of competition and the context completely unrelated to tennis. I made a mistake and I must face up to it.”
From a legal perspective, it will be important for Evans to show this was a recreational offence. While he claims to have taken the cocaine out of competition, the positive sample was collected after a match at April’s Barcelona Open. Evans’s provisional ban began on Monday, and the next stage will be a hearing convened by the International Tennis Federation, with the possibility of an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if he wishes.