Why Is Paula Badosa Compared to Maria Sharapova?

Spanish tennis player Paula Badosa has been on the rise in the past couple of years on the women’s circuit. The athlete has been competing on Tour for a few years, but she made her real breakthrough during the 2018 season when she reached the quarterfinal in Morocco. Ever since then, there has been no looking back. Interestingly, Badosa has been in the news lately for drawing comparisons with former Russian player and superstar Maria Sharapova.

The ravishing Russian has been an inspiration to many youngsters during her career. She was the perfect example of a player that mixed glamor along with her fierce style of play.

Paula Badosa the successor to Maria Sharapova?

Over the years, there was a lot of talk of who would be the successor to Maria Sharapova. There was high hope riding on the shoulders of Eugenie Bouchard, but unfortunately the Canadian couldn’t match up the success the Russian star enjoyed on the court. 

Paula, however, is one of the candidates who has certain qualities similar to Maria. The Spanish sensation has the same glamorous appeal as the Russian and her style of play is just as aggressive.

When she was asked about the comparisons, Badosa stated, “I took it in my stride. Maybe at the time when I was younger, I found it harder because of the pressure and expectations that come with comparing yourself to a great player.”

Paula Badosa and Maria Sharapova enjoy playing on clay

Another interesting aspect is that Sharapova and Badosa enjoy playing on clay. Both have registered top performances on the clay courts. 

Not long ago, she responded to comparisons on the Russian and stated, “Hahaha they say it a lot. I wish I could be as amazing as her. But thanks anyway, it’s always a good comparison.”

While the comparison can be burdensome given how popular and successful Sharapova was and remains, the youngster shouldn’t be fazed and continue working hard towards achieving success on the tennis courts.

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She is currently at the French Open 2021 and has matched her previous best result of racing the fourth round for consecutive seasons. It will be interesting to see how long the Spaniard’s journey lasts in Paris.