There is a Spanish player that everybody is talking about in the men’s draw at Indian Wells and for once it isn’t Rafael Nadal.
Pablo Carreno Busta’s fairytale run at the BNP Paribas Open reached another high after he outlasted Pablo Cuevas 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(4) in a two-hour epic. Holding his nerve, the Spaniard fended off a duo of match points on route to clinching the decisive tiebreaker. Carreno Busta, who won two ATP titles last season, will now play in the semifinals of a Masters tournament for the first time in his career.
“It’s an amazing feeling. It’s my first time in the semifinal of a Masters 1000.” He said. “Indian Wells is — for me, this tournament is one of the best, not just the Masters 1000, but one of the best tournaments in the year and maybe one of the toughest, because all the people here are all in the top 20. Just Raonic didn’t play.”
The excitement on his face was evident for everybody to see. Years of hard work had brought him to this moment. He will now break the top-20 for the first time in his career at the age of 26. Some might expect his descent up the rankings to be down an increase in his physical form. To an extent this is correct, but something more significant has aided a surge in his game.
“Maybe the most important thing was the mental side with my new team. We work so hard about to be focused all the time, to be very aggressive, to try to dominate all the points.” The Spaniard explained.
Since August, Carreno Busta has won titles in Winston-Salem and Moscow, both of which were on hard courts. This season he has also reached the third round at the Australian Open for the first time in his career. The success has broken the stigma associated with Spanish players and their love for the clay.
“I think I am comfortable on these (hard) courts. I like clay courts. But the two tournaments that I won, I won on hard courts and an indoor court in Moscow, and now I’m semifinals in this Masters 1000. So I think we can play on all the surfaces.”
The Spanish support
Carreno Busta’s blossoming on the tour isn’t without the support of some of Spain’s biggest tennis figures. Forming a close bond with nine-time French Open champion Nadal, the 26-year-old continues to relish his opportunity to train with the former world No.1.
“I practiced with him a lot of times and I think it’s really good for me to be near him, because he’s one of the best players of the history, and I am lucky to can be near him.” Said Carreno Busta.
Another former world No.1, Juan Carlos Ferrero, has also inspired him. In 2015 Carreno Busta formed a new team whilst joining Ferrero’s new academy. He is now guided on the tour by Samuel Lopez and Cesar Fabregas, the two behind the development of his mental game. Then there is Davis Cup captain Conchita Martinez, whom he publicly praised.
“When I play in Croatia this year, I feel the pressure, I feel the Davis Cup feeling, and I think it was so different. It was amazing, of course, because we won. But when I lost the first match, I need to coming back again … and I played the most important match of the tournament with 2-All.
“I won this match, I think, because Conchita and my team, Samuel and Cesar, believe in me and I believe in myself.”
With the average age on the men’s tour rising, Carreno Busta might only just be beginning his assault in the sport. As he rises up the rankings, so does the excitement surrounding him.
Carreno Busta will play Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals at Indian Wells. A win will only make him the fifth Spanish man in history to reach the final of the tournament after Nadal, Carlos Moya, Emilio Sanchez and Alex Corretja.
