Britain's Dan Evans escapes big fine for lack of effort in qualifying

Evans progressed past the German eighth seed 6-4 0-6 7-5 in the qualifying event in Roehampton but lost the second set in a staggering 19 minutes with his commitment under scrutiny.

French umpire Emmanuel Joseph immediately reacted by giving Evans a code violation warning for not trying after Evans made a poor attempt to hit a drop volley when serving at 0-5 down in the set.

It had been reported that Evans would face a fine of £13,000 – almost half of the £29,000 he would make if he progresses through to the main draw at the All England Club.

But tournament officials have now decided not to impose a financial sanction for the offence, with Evans saying he did not agree with the judgement from the umpire.

“It wasn’t a poor effort - I didn’t agree,” he told the Daily Mail.

“I just hit a drop shot and it hit the floor. That was it.”

The warning given to Evans by the umpire was from section 6 of the International Tennis Federation’s Grand Slam Rule Book.

“A player shall use his best efforts to win a match when competing in a Grand Slam Tournament. Violation of this section shall subject a player to a fine up to $20,000 (£12,750) for each violation.”

Evans takes on Japanese world number 149 Yuichi Sugita in a best-of-five-sets match on Thursday having already guaranteed himself £14,500 by reaching the third round of qualifying.

Only three months ago, Evans was fined £350 for failing to turn up for his match at a Futures event amid further questions about his commitment.

He was famously stripped of his LTA funding back in 2008 when he stayed out until the early hours on the day of a junior doubles match at Wimbledon.

Evans returned to the tour in May after a three-month absence. He has lost in qualifying in three successive Challenger tournaments this summer.

“It’s a very tough one to have a judgement on. If you go to a concert you want to be absolutely sure that the performers are giving their all, otherwise you would not be happy about what you are paying to watch. It’s the same with tennis and players have to know that fans want to feel as though they are watching two competitors giving everything they have got. But equally, consistency is key and players must all be treated the same. How do you judge if a player is conserving energy, having a little dip or simply driven to distraction by their opponent’s tactics? Either way, it’s a minefield.”

It's a tough situation to judge all round. On the one hand, can you really fine a player for winning a match, which in the crudest possible terms means simply that they have achieved their objective? It does seem very harsh to penalise a player financially for managing to complete the task they set out to do, particularly given the natural ups and downs of a tennis match. But that is the point in this case: Evans's 'down' was not considered to be a natural one. The fans have to be considered in this and if they are not watching an entirely competitive encounter then they are not being treated fairly. The integrity of the sport is harmed if a player does not try his best for the duration of the match, even if they come out on top.

Also, £14,500 to lose in the third round of qualifying? That is utterly, utterly ridiculous.