Pablo Carreño has a mission at Wimbledon

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Because Pablo Carreño has never won a match at Wimbledon. I know, many won't believe this fact, but it's what's on his record. Seven appearances, seven first-round losses. A curse that the Asturian will try to break this summer at the age of 34.

In a career that has led him to be a top 10 player, a US Open semifinalist, and a quarterfinalist at both Roland Garros and the Australian Open, there is one statistic that stands out above all in Pablo Carreño's trajectory: Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam where he has never won a match. The player from Gijón has played seven individual matches at the London major and lost all seven. The figure becomes even more remarkable when compared to his results in the other three major tournaments.

Carreño has an overall record of 57 wins and 42 losses in Grand Slams, with notable performances such as the US Open semifinals in 2017 and 2020, the Roland Garros quarterfinals in 2017 and 2020, and reaching the fourth round on several occasions in Australia. His relationship with Wimbledon began in 2014, and from the first day, it was clear that grass was not the most favorable surface for his baseline game.

In his debut, he fell to the then-world No. 7, the Spaniard David Ferrer, by 6-0, 6-7, 6-1, and 6-1. One year later, the draw didn't help either: he faced Gael Monfils, the 18th seed, who defeated him in three sets. The story repeated itself in 2016. Carreño again exited in the first round, this time against Milos Raonic. It was not just any defeat: the Canadian would go on to reach the final of that Wimbledon, confirming that the Spaniard had a particularly tough start in his early participations.

After missing the 2017 edition due to injury, he arrived in London in 2018 already established as a top player on the circuit. Being the 20th seed, he seemed to have a good chance to break the streak; however, he suffered an unexpected five-set loss to the Moldovan Radu Albot. Many consider that match as his clearest opportunity to get his first win on the grass of London.

Pablo Carreño returns to Wimbledon four years later

In 2019, another unexpected obstacle appeared: Australian Alexei Popyrin, then coming from the qualifiers, defeated him in three sets. A surprising result for a player who reached the Australian Open fourth round that same year and maintained a stable position within the top 30 in the world. The pandemic canceled the tournament in 2020, and in 2021, now as the 11th seed, he once again fell short of securing his first win. Sam Querrey, a grass specialist and former Wimbledon semifinalist, defeated him 7-6, 6-4, and 7-5. The seventh loss came in 2022; Carreño was the 16th seed and started well against Dusan Lajovic, but had to retire due to physical issues when the match was tied at one set each.

Officially, the result counts as yet another defeat in a tournament that seems to resist him inexplicably. What's most curious is that Wimbledon contrasts sharply with the rest of his Grand Slam history. He has won 17 matches at the Australian Open, 21 matches at Roland Garros, and 22 matches at the US Open. In all three, he has a win percentage greater than 60%, which is a far cry from the 0% he shows on the grass of the Cathedral. Now, as a veteran who knows how to deal with the worst storms, the Gijón native lands in London with the intention to erase that small mark on his record.

One victory, Pablo. This Monday, against Denis Shapovalov, on the first shift of Court 6. A victory to bury this article in the depths of the internet forever.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Pablo Carreño tiene una misión en Wimbledon