Rodrigo Pacheco withdraws on his debut
Los Cabos August 1st, 2022.- Mexican Rodrigo Pacheco had to withdraw for medical reasons in what was his first participation in the main draw of an ATP tour tournament.
The 17-year-old was solid on his side of the court and defense, but lacked power in his strokes to overcome the speed shown by the Australian Rinky Hijikata, the 224th rank in the world. After his withdrawal, he explained the main reason; three days ago he had a fall in the hotel and started to feel a
small discomfort in his hand.
“Before the match started I didn’t know whether to go in or not because of the discomfort in my hand, but the chance to go in was something unbelievable. I was in pain but I endured it as my team and I had a good treatment before the game, a few massages and everything to keep the swelling down. If I wasn’t enjoying it it’s not fair to me.”
After receiving one of the wild cards, Rodrigo said he felt excited and grateful for the opportunity and although he didn`t show any nerves on the court, his injury did not allow him to show his talent against a player who at 21 has more experience than the Mexican. With this victory Hijikata already has two
games of advantage over Pacheco, as they had previously met in the Challenger of Morelos.
Pacheco had lost the first set 6-3 and was down 0-4 in the second set, when he asked for the withdraw. “90% of the people would be afraid to enter a court if they are not in their best shape but I don’t want to be like that, as long as there is a chance I want to face it and learn from it. I know I’m on the right track and I wanted to show everyone my playing skills and gamet, it’s been very tough. I take away deep learnings, humbleness and mixed feelings of happiness with a bit of sadness. I know I can give much more.