The Wimbledon entry list has been released with all of the usual suspects making an appearance. Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz lead the field while Rafael Nadal has entered with his protected ranking and Andy Murray is in the draw.
The last player to get in is ranked down at No. 1047 in the world. Pablo Carreno Busta is still returning from a lengthy injury layoff but he has never won a match at Wimbledon.
Six players have entered the men’s singles draw at Wimbledon on a protected ranking – Denis Shapovalov, Dominic Stricker, Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Soonwoo Kwon and Carreno Busta.
The special rankings allow players who have been sidelined with injuries for more than six months to enter tournaments when their own standing drops. And no one’s position has dropped more than Carreno Busta, who has the lowest real-time ranking of the six men at No. 1047 in the world after two stints on the sidelines.
The Spaniard took eight months out last year for an elbow injury. He returned at the Alicante Challenger in October but a month later he decided to undergo surgery. He will make his return at the French Open, which he has also entered using his protected ranking of No. 18.
Carreno Busta’s chances look good on the clay but his Wimbledon outing will be more intriguing as he has never won a match at the All England Club despite being a former top-10 player. In all seven appearances he has made at Wimbledon, the seven-time title winner has crashed out in the first round.
He will get a chance to win his maiden match on the London grass courts later this summer thanks to his injury ranking. Despite falling out of the top 1000, Carreno Busta has such a high protected ranking because of where he was when he got injured – No. 16 in the world.
Per ATP rules, a player’s special position is determined by their average ranking during the first three months of their injury. Carreno Busta enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career in 2022 – his last full year on the circuit before the elbow injury set in. He won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Canada, also reaching the Barcelona Open final.
