A stalwart of the British game, Evans said last year he did not want to be "coming back to ask" for a Wimbledon wildcard.

But the world number 199 has been rewarded by the All England Club after continuing to persevere on the lower-tier ATP Challenger Tier.

Evans has insisted he believes he still has the level to break back into the world's top 100 - which is good enough for direct entry into the sport's four Grand Slam tournaments.

On Monday, he demonstrated his faith was well placed in an impressive win over 13th-ranked Frances Tiafoe in the Queen's first round.

"I'm the first to harp on about the wildcards. It's not just about one week or one match. It's about what you do 52 weeks of the year," Evans said after beating former US Open semi-finalist Tiafoe.

"Tennis is not just about the grass court season in Britain. It's great that we've got an amazing set of events, but there is other tournaments.

"I haven't been good enough at those other tournaments, but I've still been professional, still train day in, day out."