Paula Badosa Inspired by Rafael Nadal as She Kicks Off her Clay Season Campaign

Paula Badosa has won two consecutive matches in a tournament for the first time since June at the WTA 500 clay tournament in Charleston. The former World No.2 was given a wildcard entry into the tournament as she continues to climb to the top of the WTA rankings. She now hopes to get inspired by her idol, Rafael Nadal, and have a good run at the tournament.

Nadal is known as the greatest player on clay. No player has been able to come near the achievement of the Spaniard on the red dirt. Known for his physicality and movement on clay, he won 60 titles on the surface and claimed 14 Roland Garros titles, winning 112 matches at the French Open.

However, Badosa has not achieved much on the surface. In fact, she’s just returning from a torn labrum injury that she suffered in her right hip, a chronic injury she sustained back in 2022. She has not played many matches this year, and she’s ranked outside the Top 70 in the ATP rankings.

At the Charleston Open, she kicked off her campaign against American star Kayla Day in the first round. She defeated Day 6-4, 6-3. In the second round, she faced former World No.3 and 10th seed Maria Sakkari. Badosa produced an excellent display to beat the Greek star 6-3, 6-4, sealing her place in the fourth round of the tournament.

Badosa is known to play better on the hard court than clay and often struggles on the red dirt, but she’s seeking to change that at the Charleston Open. During an interview with Tennis Channel, she admitted that playing on clay is more physically demanding, but she takes inspiration from Nadal to have a good mentality about the surface:

Clay is more physical, but also more tactical, so you have to think a lot, and I think in my case, automatically, when I arrive on this surface, it’s very easy. I know a bit of the game plan I have to play here because I’ve trained on clay many times, especially in Spain, and they have a style of play that I think is very useful. Well, you’ve watched Rafa Nadal for so many years; he’s a great inspiration for me in that sense. Honestly, I think we have a good mentality for clay.

Nadal last appeared in a tour-level tournament at the Australian Open in January. He has been away from the tour since retiring from the sport in 2024. The 39-year-old struggled with injuries throughout his career, just like Badosa, but still had a good performance on the court. He was recently spotted with Iga Swiatek at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain.

Paula Badosa shares her view on the present state of the women’s circuit

The women’s circuit has experienced a clear evolution. Previously, one or two players dominated the circuit, winning particularly the Grand Slam tournaments. But recently things have been different. Several major title champions have emerged, making it more competitive and attractive.

Also, players are seeking ways to get the better of their opponents on tour, which has led to more statistics and analytics in the sport. During the aforementioned interview, Badosa admitted that the evolution in the women’s circuit has made the pace of the game slower than usual:

Now, in recent years, I think the pace at which we were playing was a bit slower, although at the same time, I feel like I’ve had to keep evolving. Most of us also work with statistics and analytics, so I ask her about it. I want to know the pace of how I was playing a couple of years ago and now, and there are differences. Not just with me, with everyone, but you can see they’re still pushing you all the time, especially the younger players.

Badosa, who has struggled with injuries, will play Anna Kalinskaya in the fourth round of the Charleston Open. The winner of the tie will face either Sofia Kenin or Iva Jovic in the quarter-finals. Badosa will hope to reach the last eight on tour for the first time since the Grass Court Championship in Berlin last June.

Also Read: Oleksandra Oliynykova Refuses Handshake With Russian-Born Polina Kudermetova in Charleston 

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.

Subscribe NOW