The complex panorama against Chile one month before the series against Peru for the Davis Cup

Knee surgery left Tomás Barrios out of the courts for at least two and a half months and the main national rackets have not seen regular activity due to injuries. August will be a key month to see its evolution and for the planning of captain Nicolás Massú.

On September 17-18, Chile will play in Lima for the chance to return to the Davis Cup Final Qualifiers for the first time since 2019. The draw showed that the national team must travel to Peru in Lima , in a series in which, although the cast led by Nicolás Massú appears as the favorite on paper, these differences begin to narrow due to various factors. The most worrying: the injuries.

This Sunday, Tomás Barrios (132nd) announced his injury package. After weeks of training with discomfort, the chillanejo and his team of coaches decided to stop to treat a crack in the outer meniscus of his left leg. “I tell you that after a long period of discomfort, and after consulting my medical team, we decided that it was better to perform a minor surgery on my knee , so I’m going to be off the field for a while. I will keep you posted and thank you for the support”, he announced on his social networks. Two and a half months is the estimated time for his recovery.

As simple as the procedure is, the deadlines for the series in the Peruvian capital are not met and so Tommy has become the first absentee. The problem is not minor, since it was a fixed map for doubles, where he has consolidated in recent years a solid duo with Alejandro Tabilo (69th), which will force Massú to rethink a new pair at a time that promises to be key to winning the World Group I showdown.

On the other hand, Christian Garin (74th) is not having fun either. In addition to his fall in the standings which takes him out of the top 70 today, there is a left wrist injury which complicates him and is working him to try to return to Winston-Salem. However, this is still an unknown.

“We were dragging a malaise from Wimbledon, we said to ourselves that we were going to master it better, that we were going to be able to adapt it ; but on the gravel lap he didn’t have a good feeling and we decided to take a little break to see if we can recover them completely and face the next thing, ”explains his trainer, Pepe Vendrell, from Spain .

The coach adds that they are waiting. “We will see how things develop this week; if you feel better, if you can start hitting the backhand with two hands. But we don’t want to rush the return and the goal is to try to arrive at the US Open in good conditions, ”he says.

As, Alejandro Tabilo, the current number one in the country, went a month without playing after appearing at Wimbledon. The Toronto-born southpaw decided to rest for be able to complete his recovery from the edema of the left humerus , which sidelined him from Roland Garros and got him halfway through the grass court. Today, this disease is completely cured and the return is planned for Winston-Salem.

Two quotas to fill

With Barrios’ absence confirmed, Nicolás Massú will have to complete the list for the meeting in Lima. In the standings, the name of Gonzalo Lama (263rd) is the first on the list, beyond the fact that in recent months he has not achieved the good performances of the first quarter. And while he hasn’t been part of the team for several years, he’s a name that shouldn’t be dismissed.

On another side, Matías Soto displays the best level of his rising career. The copiapino has just won the M25 in Portoviejo, which will allow him to climb more than 160 positions. Since leaving the NCAA, where he defended Baylor University, the national tennis player has won the aforementioned title in Ecuador, in addition to another U15 in this same country and a final in another M15 in Cancún. He has already been considered by the Vampire in other series and today his timing is optimal.

While further back appears Diego Fernandez who made his debut in the series against Slovenia. The Spain-based tennis player counts the U15 final in Quito as his most notable result , where precisely it fell in Soto. In the rest of the tournaments, he only has one quarter-final appearance.

A fourth option thinking about doubles is that of Julio Peralta. Big Julius has returned to the circuit after three years and is trying to reclaim the ranking that once carried him into the top 30. Of course, the small shoot he arrives with conspires against him.

Peru, on the other hand, has Juan Pablo Varillas as main weapon. The local tennis player (100th) is playing his best tennis and succeeding Luis Horna, the last big tennis star in this country, who left more than 10 years ago.

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Source: Latercera

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