Leaving Court in Tears, Paula Badosa Shares Positive Update as She Gears for a Truimphant Comeback

Paula Badosa had once made a startling revelation. The Spaniard was about to quit the sport she loved so much. The reason? A chronic back injury saw her falling from the Top 50 in 2023. The former World No.2 put her blood, sweat, and tears into making a comeback last year. Her hard work also earned her the ‘Comeback Player of the Year’ last year as she earned her spot in the Top 15. But looks like the injury is creeping up again.

The Spaniard had a stellar start to the season. She reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the first time but was defeated by her bestie, Aryna Sabalenka. On the way to the semi-final she defeated 3rd seed Coco Gauff in straight sets which helped her climb up to the World No.10. After her successful stunt at Melbourne Park, the Spaniard carried the momentum to the Dubai Tennis Champions where she reached the third round but was ultimately defeated by Elena Rybakina in three sets.

She made great strides at the Merida Open as she reached the quarterfinal of the tournament to face Daria Saville. Badosa had won the first set 6-1 and even got the first break in the second set. However, Saville broke back and led the scoreboard 3-5 when the former World No.2 had to retire from the match mid-way as the back pain started troubling her once again.

Providing an update on her injury, she took to Instagram and wrote, “Hey everyone, Thanks so much for all the messages and support. I had to pull out of the match in Mérida because of lower back pain, but I’m already working on getting better. I’ll give it my all to get back on the court as soon as possible, with more energy than ever. Big hug, Paula.”

The 27-year-old has opened up about her chronic back injury struggles and highlighted the severity of it before as well.

Paula Badosa opens up on the injury that almost ended her career

In May 2023, Paula Badosa suffered a stress fracture in her back and took a break to recover from this injury. The injury was so serious that the doctors had warned her not to continue playing. “The doctors told me it would be very complicated to continue my career,” Badosa revealed in the WTA Insider Podcast. “But they also offered me an alternative – regular cortisone shots. They said this is the only option we can give you, and maybe you will have to keep doing that if you want to play for a few more years.”

Talking about how her injury has affected her, she told The National, “It was really tough. For me, some days I think about it, I just like to go back with my thoughts and moments and thinking about it … it’s tough for me even to think about it because it was very painful… I was close, I was close to retirement.” After coming back in 2024, she struggled to find her rhythm and dropped to a ranking of World No. 140 in May. After a drought of two years, she won her first title at the Washington Open and is now settled comfortably at the 11th spot in the world rankings. Talk about a comeback!

Paula Badosa’s passion for the sport is evident in her perseverance to continue. Badosa was scheduled to play at the Indian Wells tournament, which commences on March 5. However, after the resurgence of her injury, it remains to be seen if she will participate in the tournament or not.