Paula Badosa admits the players had a ‘lack of unity’ between them, comments on her colleagues protesting against the WTA

Badosa criticized the WTA over the hectic tournament schedule. 

Paula Badosa admits the players had a ‘lack of unity’ between them, comments on her colleagues protesting against the WTA

Paula Badosa (Image via: The Sun)

Spanish pro Paula Badosa is the latest player to weigh in on the rebellion brewing among the top players against the WTA. The Athletic recently reported that a group of women’s players wrote a letter to the WTA, raising concerns related to pay and conditions within the tour, among others.

In addition to that, 4-time Grand Slam title champion Iga Swiatek herself sent a letter to the WTA leadership urging an immediate redressal of players’ concerns, her spokesperson confirmed. The purpose of the letter was to send a message of unity among the players who were “wishing for a real change”.

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These efforts, Badosa believes, depict a renewed sense of unity among the players, which, according to her, they earlier lacked. Speaking to Spanish news daily El Pais, the Spaniard remarked:

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I think it's very good that they complained, because when we don't like something, we should say so. I think that until now there was a lack of unity between us, & that is not the case now.

The answer was in response to a question related to the poorly organized WTA Finals held in Cancun, Mexico. The WTA has come under the scanner for poor preparations leading up to the tournament.

For instance, the court was prepared just in time for the year-end championship due to which players didn’t get a chance to practice on the court. The 1st seed at the tournament Aryna Sabalenka lashed out at the WTA saying that she felt “disrespected by the WTA”.

Criticizing the WTA over the hectic schedule, the former World No. 2 further added: 

The players are not happy. We have a [WhatsApp] group in which we talk to see if we can change things in the WTA because it can be improved. They are forcing us to play more and longer tournaments, and in the end we are in a cycle from which we cannot get out.

Paula Badosa calls for patience as she awaits top-10 return

Spanish pro Paula Badosa has not played a match since Wimbledon due to recurring injuries, and just when she was all set to play at the US Open, another injury scare occurred, putting a halt on her 2023 season.

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paula badosa (image via – el pais)

Although she said that she doesn’t care about the ranking and has “deleted the app”, to put things into perspective, her half-year absence has seen her rankings slump from No. 2 to No. 66. 

But, in a surprise move, the 2021 Indian Wells champion will lead the Spanish team at the Billie Jean King Cup. In a recent video released by the official page of the tournament on the social media site ‘X’, Paula was seen practicing a few shots.

The 25-year-old played a few forehand and backhand shots with ease. In an interview with El Pais, she was asked about her expectations on her return to the tour next season. 

I expect a lot from myself because I am very demanding. I only think about getting back to the level I was at before I got injured and the players I have in mind all the time are the top ten; I want to play against them.

However, the Catalan is in no mood to rush things. Admitting that the recovery would be a long process, Badosa said that she didn’t know how the injury would respond.

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