Paula Badosa Takes A Shocking Break from Tennis Weeks Before Roland Garros Kick-Off

Paula Badosa is going through one of the worst periods of her career. The Spaniard has struggled with injuries and form on the court, leading her to announce she’s taking a break from the sport. This is her third time in the last year that she will be away from the sport.

The last two times Badosa was away from professional tennis were due to injury. Last year, the former World No.2 retired from several matches, including her quarter-finals clash against Xinyu Wang at the Grass Court Championship in Berlin. She struggled with a back problem that led to her missing the US Open.

Badosa returned to the court at the China Open and won her opening match before injury struck her again in the third round against Karolina Muchova. She was forced to retire in the first set while down 2-4. She returned to the court earlier this year but was largely inconsistent, winning just three matches in January and February.

She decided to play in the WTA Challenger in Austin after exiting the Indian Wells and lost to Bianca Andreescu in the semi-finals. This clay season has been pretty bad for the World No.103. After reaching the round of 16 of the Charleston Open, she lost in the opening round of three consecutive tournaments.

Ranked outside the Top 100, Badosa is not seeded at Roland Garros, which means she will have to go through the qualifying rounds, which are extremely tricky to get into the draw. She revealed on El Camino de Mario in an interview that she has decided to take a break from the sport and focus on full mental and physical recovery:

Right after that, I had a conversation with my team; it was quite interesting. I think I need some time to stop, to see what’s going on here. To recharge a bit because I’m someone who loves to come back and fight, but I’m reaching a point where I’m getting exhausted. We’ve decided to stop. We don’t know if it will be two, three, or four weeks. It’s only been two days and I’m already asking to train, but I don’t think it’s very healthy for me to do that. So I’m going to take a little break.

Badosa was handed a wildcard at the ongoing Madrid Open as the home star player, but she couldn’t win a singles match. She was disappointed after losing to Julia Grabher in three sets at the tournament. The Italian Open organizers have already revealed their wildcards, and her name was not in the list.

Paula Badosa says she’s taking the break for her mental health

Taking a break from the tour has its pros and cons. It gives players time to get into their best physical and mental shape before returning to the court. However, it will take a longer time before they get to their best form. Also, while away from the sport, they keep dropping further in the rankings, which will make it difficult for them when they return.

Ranking position has been one of the biggest issues for players taking a break from the tour, as they might now have to seek wildcards to play in big tournaments. Nonetheless, Paula Badosa doesn’t see it that way. During the aforementioned interview, she noted that the reason for taking a break is because of her mental health:

It’s mental. Obviously, I suffered quite a bit physically in January or February, but I’ve been feeling very well physically all of last month and this month. I had injections and, so far, so good. The stronger injections are for the hip and back, which is what’s bothering me. These are really tough times for me.

Badosa enjoyed a standout season in 2022, reaching the World No.2 on the WTA rankings. But since the 2023 season, she has been struggling with injuries. She suffered a torn labrum last year and was always in constant pain during intense matches, which often forced her to retire.

Also Read: Andy Roddick Slams ‘Psycho’ Trolls After Coco Gauff’s Madrid Open Illness Incident

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