Fernando Verdasco will be hoping to continue his winning streak in Portugal this week after winning the Bucharest Open on Monday.
The 32-year-old defeated Lucas Pouille in straight sets to earn his first ATP title since 2014. Choosing not to play at the Barcelona Open in his home country, the former world No.7 clinched his seventh ATP title. The triumph in Romania follows an injury-plagued start to the year for the Spaniard, who withdrew from the Argentina Open due to a neck injury and the Monte-Carlo Masters doubles tournament due to a calf problem.
The injury woes are now a distant memory for Verdasco, who will return to the top-50 after dropping to 88th last month. Now back inside the world’s top-50, the former world No. 7 is targeting further improvement on the tour.
“The most important thing now is to win matches,” Verdasco said. “I’ve had injuries this year, now I want to stay healthy.
“These last few months have been complicated for me. It’s been a long time since I was in this position, to win a tournament or to play in a final.”
The jump in ranking places has also boosted Verdasco’s chances of playing in the singles tournament at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. His place at the event is far from certain as Spain are only allowed to select four players for the draw. Verdasco might be inside the top-50, however, he is only the sixth highest ranking player from his country. His double entry is looking more certain after Rafael Nadal declared his interest in playing alongside the 32-year-old earlier this year.
The next stop in Verdasco’s season is this week’s Estoril Open in Portugal, where he was awarded a wildcard into the tournament. In the first round, he will play compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta, a player who he defeated in straight sets at the 2014 Baastad Open.
Fernando Verdasco quick facts
Age: 32
ATP titles: 7 (three on hard courts and four on clay)
Best Grand Slam performance: Semifinalist at the 2009 Australian Open
Doubles performance: Former world No.8 in 2013, won the 2013 ATP Finals with David Marrero.
Random fact: Verdasco has defeated Novak Djokovic four times and Rafael Nadal three, but it yet to beat Roger Federer (losing six times).
