He won the first match of the 2025 tennis season but has finished it just ranked inside the top 100

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The 2025 tennis season began 346 days ago in Perth, Australia…

Kicking off the 2025 campaign at the United Cup, Team Spain took on Team Kazakhstan.

Playing the first match of the tournament, Pablo Carreno Busta met Alexander Shevchenko.

Dropping just three games, Carreno Busta dominated Shevchenko, 6-2, 6-1, to win the opening match of the year.

It was certainly a strong start for the Spaniard, but how did the rest of the year pan out for Carreno Busta?

Pablo Carreno Busta spent most of 2025 on the Challenger Tour

Unfortunately for Carreno Busta, his win over Shevchenko was his last at the 2025 United Cup, as he lost in the deciding doubles against Kazakhstan and in singles to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

After losing in the first round of the ASB Classic, Carreno Busta made his return to action at the Australian Open, where he beat Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak to book his place in round two.

There, he fell to America’s Ben Shelton in four sets, 3-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6,

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From then on, Carreno Busta played most of his tennis on the Challenger Tour, where he reached four finals, winning three.

Pablo Carreno Busta’s Challenger finals in 2025

• Challenger Tenerife 1 F [WIN] vs Alejandro Moro Canas
• Challenger Tenerife 2 F [WIN] vs Filip Misolic
• Challenger Villena F [WIN] vs Hugo Grenier
• Challenger Olbia F [LOSS] vs Luca Van Assche

On the ATP Tour, Carreno Busta won nine matches this season, and picked up multiple wins in a month just once.

Pablo Carreno Busta’s ATP Tour wins this season

• 1. (December 2024) United Cup GS vs Alexander Shevchenko
• 2. (January 2025) Australian Open 1R vs Kamil Majchrzak
• 3. (March 2025) Grand Prix Hassan II 1R vs Younes Llami Laaroussi
• 4. (May 2025) French Open 1R vs Francisco Comesana
• 5. (July 2025) Canadian Open 1R vs Liam Draxl
• 6. (August 2025) Winston-Salem Open 1R vs Yoshihito Nishioka
• 7. (August 2025) US Open 1R vs Pablo Llamas Ruiz
• 8. (September 2025) Davis Cup Q vs Elmer Moller
• 9. (November 2025) Davis Cup SF vs Jan-Lennard Struff

Those wins saw the Spaniard finish 2025 ranked just inside the world’s top 100, in 89th.

Pablo Carreno Busta’s 2025 year-end ranking

He’ll no doubt be hoping for better in 2026, but at 34, the chances are that Carreno Busta’s best years are behind him.

But just how much did the 34-year-old achieve during his prime years on tour?

Pablo Carreno Busta was one set away from a Grand Slam final

Back in 2020, Carreno Busta was involved in one of the most controversial Grand Slam matches of all time.

During his fourth-round clash with Novak Djokovic at the US Open, Carreno Busta led 6-5 in the opening set when the Serb hit a ball at a line judge.

Djokovic was subsequently defaulted, as the Spaniard took his place in the quarterfinals.

Pablo Carreno Busta at the 2020 US Open

• 2020 US Open 1R – Pablo Carreno Busta defeated Yasutaka Uchiyama
• 2020 US Open 2R – Pablo Carreno Busta defeated Mitchell Krueger
• 2020 US Open 3R – Pablo Carreno Busta defeated Ricardas Berankis
• 2020 US Open 4R – Pablo Carreno Busta defeated Novak Djokovic
• 2020 US Open QF – Pablo Carreno Busta defeated Denis Shapovalov
• 2020 US Open SF – Pablo Carreno Busta lost to Alexander Zverev

Looking to advance to the semis, Carreno Busta took on Canada’s Denis Shapovalov.

In five gruelling sets, Carreno Busta beat Shapovalov, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 0-6, 6-3, to set up a semifinal clash with Alexander Zverev.

Carreno Busta led Zverev by two sets to love, 6-3, 6-2, and was just a set away from reaching his maiden Grand Slam final.

He couldn’t quite get over the line, however, as Zverev fought back to win in five sets, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

Carreno Busta never got closer to reaching a Grand Slam final, but still enjoyed plenty of success elsewhere on tour, winning seven titles, including one Masters 1000.

Winning the Canadian Open in 2022, the 34-year-old established himself as one of the best Spanish players of his generation.

He is also a former Olympic bronze medalist and reached a career-high ranking of 10th in the world back in 2017.

It remains to be seen whether Carreno Busta can enjoy another successful year on tour in 2026, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.