As the clay courts of the Caja Mágica buzzed with anticipation for the 2025 Mutua Madrid Open, Spanish tennis star Paula Badosa took center stage, not just for her powerful serves but for a candid moment of vulnerability. In a press conference ahead of the tournament, the 27-year-old world No. 12 opened up about her evolving relationship with the Spanish media, admitting that just three years ago, she harbored intense resentment toward them. “I’m going to be honest. Three years ago, I hated you all,” she confessed with a wry smile, her words cutting through the room like one of her signature backhands. Now, as she prepares to compete on home soil, Badosa’s journey from distrust to understanding reveals a player who has grown through adversity, both on and off the court.
Badosa’s career has been a rollercoaster of triumphs and trials. Born in Manhattan to Spanish parents and raised in Barcelona, she burst onto the scene as a junior, winning the 2015 French Open girls’ title. Expectations soared, with comparisons to Maria Sharapova and Garbiñe Muguruza piling pressure on her teenage shoulders. By 2021, she had claimed her first WTA 1000 title at Indian Wells and reached a career-high ranking of No. 2 in 2022. But the weight of fame, coupled with a chronic back injury, nearly derailed her. In 2023, a stress fracture forced her to consider retirement, and her ranking plummeted to No. 126 after a tearful exit at the 2024 Madrid Open. “In Madrid, I was a complete disaster. I didn’t want to leave my room,” she recalled, reflecting on the low point that tested her resolve.
Her fraught relationship with the media stemmed from those turbulent years. As a young player, Badosa felt suffocated by the scrutiny that came with being Spain’s top-ranked woman. Every loss was dissected, every move magnified. The constant comparisons to tennis legends left her reeling, and she admitted to avoiding press interactions altogether. “I didn’t want to respond to anything,” she said, describing how the pressure made her withdraw. Social media only amplified the noise, with Badosa once canceling her accounts to escape the vitriol. “I couldn’t sleep, because I thought that people might be right, that I was not a good tennis player,” she shared in a past interview, highlighting the mental toll of public criticism.
Yet, the Badosa who spoke to reporters in Madrid was a transformed figure. Now coached by Pol Toledo, she has clawed her way back to the top 10, thanks to a stellar 2024 season that included a title in Washington and a semifinal run at the 2025 Australian Open. Her victory over Coco Gauff in Melbourne, a 7-5, 6-4 upset, earned her the 2024 WTA Comeback Player of the Year award. This resurgence has brought clarity and maturity. “I’m getting older, maturing, gaining experience,” she told the press. “Now I understand how this works, and I handle it much better.” Her newfound perspective allows her to see the media not as adversaries but as part of the sport’s ecosystem, a shift that has eased the burden of playing at home.
The Madrid Open holds special significance for Badosa. In 2021, she became the first Spanish woman to reach the semifinals, a milestone that fueled her rise. This year, she enters as a fan favorite, her aggressive baseline game and 122 mph serve poised to thrill the home crowd. Her first-round match against Elisabetta Cocciaretto in 2023 was a grueling two-and-a-half-hour battle, and she knows the Caja Mágica’s passionate fans can be both a blessing and a curse. “The pressure, it’s something you have to learn to handle,” she said in 2023, a lesson she’s clearly taken to heart.
Off the court, Badosa’s life is equally dynamic. Her on-again, off-again relationship with fellow tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas has kept fans buzzing, with the couple recently spotted together in Dubai. She’s also embraced her love for fashion, influenced by her parents’ careers, and promotes brands like Nike and Kerastase. Despite past controversies, including a 2024 social media post that drew accusations of racism, Badosa has worked to rebuild her image, emphasizing her love for her global fanbase. “I love you all,” she wrote after the incident, a sentiment she now extends to the media she once shunned.
As Badosa steps onto the Madrid clay, she carries not just the hopes of a nation but the wisdom of a survivor. Her candid admission about hating the press is more than a headline; it’s a testament to her growth. With 30 wins in her last 39 matches, she’s no longer the “broken toy” her former coach once described. Instead, she’s a player rediscovering joy in tennis, ready to face the spotlight—and the press—with a renewed sense of purpose.