Spanish No.2 Pablo Carreno Busta has admitted that it will be ‘difficult’ for him to play in next month’s Wimbledon Championships due to an ongoing injury problem.
The 25-year-old hasn’t played a match on the tour since withdrawing from his quarter-final clash against Rafael Nadal at the French Open. Carreno Busta was forced to quit the match due to an abdominal injury. At that tournament he defeated Milos Raonic to reach the last eight of a grand slam for the first time in his career, elevating him to a ranking best of 17th in the world.
Providing an update of his injury on Thursday, Carreno has told Spanish media that he is uncertain about his grass court plans. He is currently undergoing rehabilitation on his abdominal, but there is no guarantee that he will be recovered in time for the third major tournament of the season. If he did withdrew, it will be the first time that the Spaniard has missed a grand slam main draw since the 2013 US Open.
“I’m still in recovery. I suffered a small rupture in the rectum of the abdomen and, until now, the doctors are cautious, they do not allow me to force (it) yet. We are going to try to recover as soon as possible to see if I can reach Wimbledon, little by little, but at the moment it is difficult,” Punto de Break quoted him saying.
Targeting the top players
Despite the setback, the Spaniard is still high in confidence during what has been an encouraging season for him. Carreno Busta achieved his best result in a Masters 1000 tournament in March by reaching the semifinals in Indian Wells. His run was eventually ended by Stan Wawrinka. More recently, he won his third ATP title (first on clay) after defeating Gilles Muller in the final of the Estoril Open.
Now ranked 17th in the world, the Gijon-born player is eager to continue rising up the ranks after claiming his first top-10 win over Raonic at Roland Garros.
“If you catch them (a top-10 player) in a great shape, as was the case of Rafa Nadal on clay in five sets, I will not say that it is impossible, but it is very difficult to beat them.” He explained.
“The match I had in Monte Carlo against Djokovic was much more disputed, I even had options to take it.’
“The matches against the top 10, I am dominating them much better than before, I am putting them in much more trouble. At Roland Garros, I won my first game against a top 10 against Raonic, that’s the way to go. Little by little I will improve and win more matches of this type.”
So far this season the 25-year-old has won 27 out of 41 matches played. Should he miss Wimbledon, Carreno Busta’s next scheduled tournament is the Bastad Open in Sweden. The competition is set to take place on clay in the week beginning July 17th.
