Paula Badosa recently showed enthusiasm after her successful campaign at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The Spaniard’s struggles with her back injury had been ongoing for a long time, causing her to miss out or withdraw from a number of tournaments. Her most recent withdrawal came at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix against Aryna Sabalenka in the deciding set.
Badosa immediately returned for the Madrid Masters, but struggled to find her rhythm. However, at Wimbledon, she defeated Karolina Muchova, Brenda Fruhvirtova, and 14th seed Daria Kasatkina to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time since Wimbledon 2022.The 26-year-old recently sat down with La Vanguardia for a chat where she said that her performance at SW19 has reignited the confidence that she could return to the top. The Spaniard listed out the changes she made in her team after her first-round exit at the Madrid Masters as she felt that she had hit rock bottom.
“This Wimbledon has given me back my faith in myself and has helped me believe that I can be among the best in the world again. I decided to change part of my team after the Mutua Open in Madrid, because I felt it was a turning point, I hit rock bottom, and I went back to counting on David Antona as a physical trainer because in our previous stage he made me feel safe and confident. I also brought in a nutritionist and a psychologist in the tournaments, looking for that self-confidence.”
The former World No. 2 cited her never-give-up spirit and desire to face the best as the reasons she continued to fight even in this difficult year. She knew what she needed to reach a higher level but also wanted to enjoy the journey.
“In my case, the only explanation I can find has to do with my stubbornness, with never losing that faith, that desire to play the final rounds on the big courts against the best players in the world. That is the reason why I continue to fight day after day. This has been an extremely difficult year. I have already been in the final rounds several times, I know what it takes to get here, and that is why I want to enjoy these joys now too,” Paula Badosa said.
“Same or worse than what I went through” – Paula Badosa compares her injury struggles to mental pressure in the past
Paula Badosa also recalled the pressure she felt after heavy expectations were placed on her when she won the Roland Garros Junior as a 17-year-old. On a mental level, she found the experience to be similar to what she has been through this year.
The only difference she found was the difference in maturity and clarity. However, she admitted that her current situation was the same or worse than what she went through back then.
“I have always been very honest with my emotions and my life processes, and this year has been a very similar situation on a mental level to what I experienced after winning Roland Garros Junior. I think the only difference is that now I am 25-26 years old, and then I was 19-20 and at that time I was less clear about what I had to do or how I had to deal with it. Now I have it much clearer, but the difficult moment I have had this year is the same or worse than what I went through at the time.”
Paula Badosa’s run at Wimbledon was ended by Donna Vekic 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 in a topsy-turvy match in the fourth round.
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