Pablo Carreno Busta's injury woes continue to haunt him, and the Spaniard's confirmed absence at this year's Canadian Open will see him leave the world's Top 100.
Carreno Busta was one of the most unexpected Masters 1000 champions in recent memory when he won the Montreal Masters last summer. It remains the Spaniard's biggest ATP Tour title to date and one that propelled him back to the world's Top 20.
During the week in Canada last season, Carreno Busta scored high-quality wins over Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner before toppling Hubert Hurkacz in the final. But he's had a 2023 to forget. He has played four matches this season at four tournaments in the opening month of the season.
His last appearance was in Rotterdam, where he lost to Richard Gasquet in the first round. Since then, a debilitating elbow injury has forced the former world number 10 to sit on the sidelines for much of the season without seeing any light ahead of the tunnel.
Carreno Busta, who celebrated his 32nd birthday last month, tends to keep a low profile on social media but looked in fine spirits when he updated the tennis fraternity with videos of himself practicing at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Tennis Academy for the first time in 11 weeks in July. But pulling out from Toronto could be justification that he's still experiencing some pain.
His ranking has dropped to 23rd this week, but it is expected to tank considerably in the next couple of weeks after withdrawing from his title defense at the Canadian Open. That will set Carreno Busta at least 100 spots below his current ranking, as he is guaranteed to lose 1000 points.
Carreno Busta will leave the Top 100 as a consequence, dropping down to at least 124th spot. It will be the first time in exactly 10 years that the Spanish Olympic bronze medalist will not be part of the centurion club in the ATP rankings.
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