Carreño: "I see Jódar competing with Sinner and Alcaraz very soon"

Spanish tennis player Pablo Carreño lamented that shoulder problems hampered his performance during his Roland Garros fourth-round match against fellow Spaniard Rafael Jódar. Carreño lauded Jódar's resilience when trailing and predicted that the young player will soon be competing at the highest level against stars like Italy's Jannik Sinner and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz.

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He can do it soon. I don't know if he can do it right now; it's his first year among the best, he's 19 years old, he has a lot of room for improvement. You don't need to win a Grand Slam at 18 to be at the top later; everyone has their own rhythm.

"He can do it soon. I don't know if he can do it right now; it's his first year among the best, he's 19 years old, he has a lot of room for improvement. You don't need to win a Grand Slam at 18 to be at the top later; everyone has their own rhythm," Carreño stated. The veteran player, aged 34, added, "He has improved a lot, little by little he is getting the rhythm of the greats."

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He has improved a lot, little by little he is getting the rhythm of the greats.

Carreño even suggested Jódar has a chance against world number three Alexander Zverev of Germany in the quarterfinals. "He has lost few matches on clay this year, and it was against top players. It will be his first match on Philippe Chatrier, and in the quarterfinals, anything can happen," Carreño commented.

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He has lost few matches on clay this year, and it was against top players. It will be his first match on Philippe Chatrier, and in the quarterfinals, anything can happen.

Carreño asserted that he was "playing very well" until his shoulder began to bother him. He believes his performance at this Roland Garros, where he reached a Grand Slam fourth round for the first time in four years, represented his best tennis since an elbow injury sidelined him for several months. He regretted that the shoulder issues, which had previously forced him to withdraw from the Valencia tournament shortly before Roland Garros, ultimately took their toll. Carreño noted that the changing weather conditions in Paris, with cooler temperatures and heavier balls, exacerbated his shoulder pain. "If I had closed the second set earlier, I might have had an hour more of good tennis and I would have had time to win the match," he said, praising Jódar for not giving up even when behind.

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I was playing very well until my shoulder started to bother me.