By Andy Murray and Dan Evans will have to rely on the generosity of the French Open organisers after missing out on a place in the men’s doubles tournament.
As first reported by i earlier this month, Murray and Evans were a surprise entry into the doubles event as part of their preparations for the Olympics in July, which will take place at Roland Garros.
Both players are automatic entrants into the more prestigious singles tournament, but their combined ranking of 144 is nine places too low to be assured of a place in the draw, and i understands they have requested one of the seven wildcard entries instead.
However, it is believed that the French Tennis Federation has not awarded a men’s doubles wildcard to a non-French pair since 2004, when Russian duo Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko were awarded one as they prepared for the Athens Olympic Games.
Players can use either their doubles or singles ranking to enter the doubles draw, with the top 57 gaining an automatic place. Historically, a ranking of around 130 has been good enough to get a place, a number Murray and Evans would have expected to achieve with ease.
Both though have dropped out of the world’s top 50, and Evans has only won five matches all year, choosing to play a second-tier clay-court tournament in Bordeaux last week for the first time in 10 years.
Murray is also searching for form, joining Evans in Bordeaux before flying to Geneva after his second-round defeat. i understands his attempts to enter the doubles are part of preparations for this summer’s Olympics where he said he would play “only if I felt like there was a chance of winning a medal”, according to an interview with The Times.
But former British No 1 and Olympic doubles finalist Tim Henman says he is just glad to see Murray out on court after he damaged two ankle ligaments in the US only two months ago.
“At this stage of Andy’s career, it’s pretty easy to overanalyse things,” Henman, who will be part of Eurosport and discovery+’s live coverage of the French Open, told i.
“After Miami when he had the ankle injury, I think that was very worrying times, because you’re just not quite sure when he’s going to be able to come back.
“So to see him in Geneva this week, in the French, wanting to play doubles, entered into Surbiton – I just think they’re all good signs. He wants to be in tournaments on the match court.
“And he always works incredibly hard to prepare and on the practice court and in the gym, and all the injury prevention stuff, but you do that for a reason. You do that to get out on the match court.
“So it’s great that he is keen and hopefully stays injury free.”
Watch every moment from Roland Garros live across Eurosport and discovery+ from 20 May to 9 June
