Cristian Garin, a 29-year-old Chilean tennis player, received an unexpected opportunity to compete at Wimbledon following the withdrawal of Pablo Carreno Busta due to injury. Garin, who was third in line for a lucky loser spot, got the call just after 7 a.m. on Monday morning. He quickly made his way to The All England Club and secured a first-round victory against Luxembourg qualifier Chris Rodesch with scores of 7-6(8), 6-4, 6-4.
Reflecting on his journey, Garin shared with ATPTour.com that he had been disappointed after losing in the last round of qualifying but remained hopeful about securing a lucky loser spot. “On Thursday I lost in four or five hours in the last round of qualifying, five sets. I was just really sad and upset, so down,” he said. Despite being third on the list for a lucky loser position, he stayed optimistic.
Over the weekend, two players withdrew from the tournament on Friday, but no one else did over the weekend. Garin admitted to having difficulty sleeping as he awaited news about his participation. “And today in the morning I got a call at about seven that someone was not going to play,” he recounted.
Garin spent his weekend blending light training with leisure activities around London while keeping his mind off Wimbledon. He described it as “a good weekend because I practised for three days but also I didn’t focus just on Wimbledon.”
Garin has found success at Wimbledon before, reaching the fourth round in 2021 and advancing to the quarter-finals in 2022. He expressed enjoyment playing at this tournament: “It’s a tournament that I think I play really well at.”
After facing challenges such as injuries and inconsistent form since reaching the quarter-finals in 2022, Garin remains determined. This season he has won two ATP Challenger Tour titles and is building momentum.
Reaching the second round brought visible emotion for Garin: “It is so satisfying reaching the second round. It makes you remember all the hard work.” He is set to face Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech next.
As a lucky loser, Garin feels less pressure and aims primarily to enjoy playing: “I think I was just happy to have the opportunity to play… Maybe it was less pressure than other times.”