Who doesn’t love a comeback story? Paula Badosa has been writing her own, and it’s been one for the books. The former World No.2 spent nearly two years battling back problems. This forced the Spaniard to fall off in the rankings to No.140. But that didn’t stop her. After a strong  2024, she’s back in the Top 10 and playing some of her best tennis. And now, she’s tearing through the competition in Dubai. So what’s the secret behind her laser-focused determination?

It wasn’t long ago that Paula Badosa struggled just to complete matches. A stress fracture in her spine kept her out of two Grand Slams in 2023, and by early 2024, she was still outside the Top 70. But things changed fast. She won her first title in over two years at the Washington Open, made the US Open quarter-finals, and by the end of the season, she had climbed to No. 12.

Then came the 2025 Australian Open, where the Spanish tennis star took out four straight Top 15 players, including Coco Gauff, snapping the American’s 13-match win streak. It was a huge statement, but her run ended in the semifinals at the hands of her best friend, Aryna Sabalenka. Still, the effort was enough to push her back into the Top 10 for the first time since October 2022.

Badosa’s rise wasn’t just about physical recovery—it was about belief. And she had a secret weapon: her notebook. “You know, I have to say in that notebook—this is a small secret—after Paris and clay-court season, I’m going to show it just to prove it, in that notebook I said where I wanted to be a year after, what ranking, where do I see myself a year after, after all the struggles, how do I see myself in Rome 2025,” she revealed. “I said I’m going to be back in the Top 10. I’m happy that I came sooner. What I want to say with that is when you have self-belief and you trust the process, you really want it, I think dreams can come true, yeah.”

The World No.10 literally got this.! And now she is back in Dubai with no signs of stopping.

Are there more like Paula Badosa using the formula?

Manifest it, and play like you already won. These tennis stars have got the vision—and the trophies to prove it. In 2021, Patrick Mouratoglou’s YouTube channel posted a video revealing something interesting. So,  the French coach once told Serena Williams that he had always envisioned her showing up at his academy.

After she lost early at the French Open and didn’t wanna go home, she pulled up to train there. “I really do believe in the law of attraction, and I really believe in manifestation, and I believe in visualization,” she said concluding the story-time. Alongside her, Bianca Andreescu says meditation and imagination are her secret weapons. Her mom put her on the game when she was a teen, and now she swears by it to stay cool under pressure.

But back to Paula Badosa, she’s proving that self-belief can be just as important as talent. The player’s back in the Top 10, winning big matches, and showing no signs of slowing down. Will she keep the streak alive in Dubai?