The WTA 1000 event in Madrid is underway with some of the top players gracing the clay courts of the tournament. Playing on her home soil, Paula Badosa is in great form as she stormed into the next round of the Madrid Open after outclassing the Italian tennis player, Elisabetta Cocciaretto. Now, the former world No. 2 player is all geared up for an exciting clash against the American tennis prodigy, Coco Gauff. Ahead of the all-important encounter, the 19-year-old tennis player is already the target of some mind tricks from the Spanish tennis star.
Paula Badosa opens up about her strategies before the crucial match against Coco Gauff
With three WTA 1000 titles in her bag, Paula Badosa is a top name on the WTA circuit. However, the Spanish tennis player picked up an abductor injury at the start of the season which forced her to pull out of various tournaments. It further had a drastic effect on her rankings as she dropped out of the top spots in the women’s circuit.
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Now, the former world No. 2 player is back and geared up to embrace the challenges at the Madrid Open. Badosa started the tournament with an impressive win over Elisabetta Cocciaretto as she outperformed her, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, in front of her home fans. In the next round of the event, she is set up for an exciting clash against the sixth-seeded player, Coco Gauff.
Even though Badosa is competing on her home soil, she will be going in as the underdog given her current ranking in the women’s circuit. Taking note of the same, the current world No. 42 was asked about her mindset ahead of her matchup against the higher-ranked player. Given the caliber of the American tennis prodigy, Badosa responded that she is already aware that this is a “very high-level” match. She added, “Maybe I hope she doesn’t serve that well. I hope I serve very well. It’s small details these kind of matches. Yeah, let’s see how it goes.”
Gauff also looked geared up for the clay court event
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The American tennis player is aware that she wasn’t at her best in the hard-court phase of the season as she faced a lot of early-round defeats. However, Gauff is now back with her spirits up and she is all geared up for the clay-court season.
Speaking about the same in a recent interview with Talking Tennis, Gauff revealed how she is solely focused on the WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome. She further believes that these two tournaments will help her build great momentum ahead of the French Open.
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Who do you think will prevail in the thrilling matchup of Badosa and Gauff? Let us know in the comments section.
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