In a dramatic turn of events at the Guangzhou Challenger, British tennis player Daniel Evans was forced to retire mid-match against Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo due to a wrist injury on September 12, 2025. The severity of the injury can be judged by Evans’ reaction when he walked off. He said, “My wrist literally broke.”
The Incident
Evans took a medical timeout after an unfortunate fall during a rally. The scoreline at that time was 1-1 in the second set with Cerundolo serving next. It looked serious as Evans was lying on the court, surrounded by medical staff. Even after that rough fall, Evans managed to break Cerundolo in the next game to go 2-1 up. He played a fantastic point on his serve after that to go 15-0 up and then retired. The Brit threw his racquet in frustration.
Evans was playing well this week and looked set to reach a semifinal of an event for the first time since 2023. This latest setback adds to a troubling pattern for Evans, who has faced significant injury challenges in recent years.
During the Erste Bank Open in Vienna in October 2023, Evans was leading Frances Tiafoe 4-1 in the first set when he suffered a severe calf injury. He retired from the match after pulling up in pain. This injury sidelined him for several months, ruling him out of key end-of-year events. He was inside the Top 40 at that time. Since then, he has had his fair share of niggles and lower-body problems, which have contributed significantly to his decline in rankings.
Evans dropped as low as 217 in rankings earlier this year and was building his way back up. This latest injury derails his progress once again, and at 35 years old, it could be a career-ending injury for the Brit if it’s as serious as his reaction suggests.
Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
