How many people can claim to have denied the world’s best player their ultimate dream twice? In 2020 and 2021, Novak Djokovic, the ultimate player in modern Tennis, was beaten by this player on two occasions. One by default and the other by sheer skill. The one loss in 2020 blemished his near-perfect record till then. In 2021, the ultimate dream of an Olympic medal was snatched. That is the blow that Pablo Carreno Busta inflicted on Novak Djokovic in the US Open and Tokyo Olympics. Busta is one of the raw talents that is emerging from Spain thanks to the brilliance of Rafael Nadal. He has achieved success in several ATP tournaments and has shown the potential to do well in Grand Slam events. It could only be a matter of time before he emerges as a Grand Slam winner. But, age is not on his side and he will be determined to break the jinx.
Born in Gijon on July 12, 1991, Busta turned professional in 2009 at the age of 18. After playing for three years, Busta suffered a serious back injury that required surgery. After being sidelined for five months, he struggled to make an impact. Busta serves right-handed and has a slight side-on action when he serves. He employs the two-handed backhand and is predominantly a baseline player.
As a teenager, Busta had a great start in the ITF circuit. He reached 18 singles finals and won eleven of these. The high was winning six tournaments in 2013. He also won two challenger titles from two finals in 2011. All these wins saw him reaching a career-high singles ranking of no. 133.
In 2013, Busta won 42 out of 43 matches on the ITF Circuit, Busta entered the qualification stage of the 2013 Grand Prix Hassan II in April, held in Casablanca, Morocco. He won his three qualifying matches, and then beat first seed and two-time Grand Prix Hassan II champion, Pablo Andujar, 6–4, 2–6, 6–3. He lost in the following round to eventual runner-up, Kevin Anderson. Later, Busta reached the semi-final stage of the 2013 Portugal Open, before losing to Stan Wawrinka in three sets.
Busta participated in his first-ever grand slam tournament when he was a qualifier at the 2013 French Open. He won his three qualification matches, before losing to Roger Federer in straight sets in the opening round.
After struggling for five years, Busta finally had his moment of glory. In the 2016 Winston-Salem Open, Busta clinched his first ATP title when he defeated Roberto Bautista Agut in the final. He entered the top 40 of the ATP Rankings for the first time as a result, becoming world No. 39. When 2019 came, Busta entered the top 10 but his crowning moment would be the Davis Cup win against Spain in 2019.
Busta had reached the French Open quarterfinal and US Open semifinal in 2020 to showcase his talent. The likes of Busta and several players now have another opportunity to forge a name for themselves in the Tennis world.
Australian Open: 4R (2018, 2019)
French Open: QF (2017, 2020)
Wimbledon: 1R (2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021)
US Open: SF (2017, 2020)
Olympics: Bronze medal in 2021 Tokyo Olympics singles
