Tennis player Dan Evans has been dumped by one of his sponsors, Italian sportswear brand ellesse, with the British No. 3 "continuing to pay the price after failing a drug test for cocaine," according to Kieran Gill of the London DAILY MAIL. Ellesse said that it "cannot condone the lifestyle choices" made by Evans, whose mistake "will cost him thousands." World No. 50 Evans joined ellesse in March after he was forced to wear "unbranded" £13 ($16.81) T-shirts from Uniqlo at the Australian Open. That was after Nike "decided against handing him a new contract when his previous endorsement deal expired." Ellesse said in a statement, "Dan has shown great promise on the court and has been a valued member of the ellesse team, however we cannot condone the lifestyle choices he has made and are therefore withdrawing his sponsorship." The Int'l Tennis Federation is "set to rule on a sentence on Evans." He said in a statement, "I made a mistake and I must face up to it" (DAILY MAIL, 6/27). The BBC reported Evans "could be banned for up to four years for an anti-doping violation," according to ITF rules (BBC, 6/28).
