?I Feel Sad for Him? – Paula Badosa Opens Up About Missing Rafael Nadal at Miami Open 2022

Current world no.6, Paula Badosa is having a great North-American spring hardcourt swing. After reaching the semi-final in Indian Wells, the Spaniard had a great start at the Miami Open as well. After winning her first match against Marie Bouzkova in Miami, Badosa spoke to the media and talked about her fellow Spaniard, Rafael Nadal. Notably, the Spaniard is sidelined for at least four to six weeks due to a rib stress fracture that he sustained during the closing stages of the recently concluded Indian Wells Masters.?

Paula Badosa talks about missing Rafael Nadal at the Miami Open

Recently, Badosa spoke to ESPN after beating her second-round opponent, where she expressed her sadness with the absence of Rafael Nadal. As per Badosa, Nadal is her idol, and she is missing him at the Miami Open.

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?To tell the truth, it is very sad. It’s sad anyway a tournament without Nadal. He’s a huge player, he’s my idol and there are few words that can sum up my admiration for him. I feel sad for him but I’m sure he will recover and get back to the courts quickly,? Badosa stated (Google Translate).?

The 2021 Indian Wells Masters champion, Badosa, had a chance to win back-to-back trophies in the Californian desert. Unfortunately, she lost to the Greek player, Maria Sakkari, in the Semi-finals. In the same tournament, 21-time Grand Slam winner, Rafael Nadal was eying his fourth Indian Wells Masters title. However, visually bothered by his rib injury, he succumbed to Taylor Fritz in the title clash.?

Nadal to miss Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open

Sadly, Nadal, who was having an incredible season so far in 2022, suffered another setback. He suffered a stress fracture in one of his ribs at the Indian Wells Masters. Although he had already decided to skip the Miami Open, the new injury will hamper his preparations for the French Open. In all likeliness, Nadal is now out for at least a month. He will miss Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open where he is an 11-time and 12-time champion respectively. Depending on his recovery, he might have an outside chance of making a comeback at Madrid Masters in early May.

Badosa is having a great month in the US

With one Spaniard out, another Spaniard is still waving the Spanish flag at the United States. After a decent outing in the Californian desert, Badosa won her first match against Marie Bouzkova by 7-5,7-5 in Miami. Teaming up with Belarusian tennis player, Aryna Sabalenka and Badosa won their opening round fixture 6-3, 6-4 in the women’s doubles at the Miami Masters.

In the singles draw, she will face Yulia Putintseva in the Round of 32. It will be intriguing to witness if she can go all the way to win the WTA 1000 event in Miami.

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Can Badosa win the Miami Open? Let us know in the comments.