Paula Badosa’s journey back to the top of women’s tennis has been a rollercoaster ride, but the former world No. 2 is finally feeling like she’s off the ride. After an 18-month battle with a career-threatening back injury, Badosa is back in the winner’s circle and eager to make up for lost time.
Badosa’s injury woes began in 2022, forcing her to miss three of four major tournaments. She shut down her season last August in hopes of healing her back for good, but doctors prescribed a regimen of cortisone shots that dimmed the prospects of a long career for the then-26-year-old.
“It really is a rollercoaster, and you wake up every day not knowing what is going to happen,” Badosa said. “Emotionally, there have been ups and downs and it’s been tough for me lately.”
But Badosa never gave up hope. She opted out of further back treatments and began to feel like herself again on clay, pushing Coco Gauff to three sets at the Foro Italico and reaching the third round at Roland Garros. She went one round better at Wimbledon for her best Grand Slam finish in two years, teeing her up to hit the ground running on hard courts.
“I’m an aggressive player, but I need my physical part,” Badosa explained. “I think it’s very important for me to feel strong, to feel that I can play tough matches, to feel that I can play long rallies also. So, once I felt that, I think it went straight to my mindset, to my mentality, and then when I feel strong in that area, I feel strong mentally, so I start to feel competitive again.”
Badosa’s improved physicality was on display again Wednesday, helping her rally from a break down in the second set to knock out American Peyton Stearns and book a second round against No. 13 seed Anna Kalinskaya.
“I remember thinking, ‘Oh, shit, you cannot go to a third set because next day you’re not going to be able to play because you’re not ready for that,’ she recalled of her early-season mindset. “I had that moment [today] in the second set, but I remember thinking, ‘Oh, it’s okay. You still have a third one. And it doesn’t matter if you go to a battle there, because next day you will feel okay now.’ I saw that, especially in Washington that I had tough matches. So that, for me, makes me relax a bit on the court and I can play more free.”
Though her team continues to monitor her back, Badosa hasn’t had any cortisone shots since Paris, a welcome relief to the doctors who questioned how much longer she could compete professionally.
“They were expecting me to be okay, and we didn’t find solutions in that moment,” said Badosa. “So, for them now it’s a normal thing, and before it was they were surprised. For the moment it’s positive.”
Back in range for a seed at the 2024 US Open, Badosa is eager to make up for lost time.
“You’ll have to see me for a few more years now!”
