The lush grass courts of the Berlin Tennis Open have witnessed countless moments of triumph and despair, but few were as raw as Paula Badosa’s emotional departure on June 20, 2025. The Spanish tennis star, ranked World No. 10, was forced to retire from her quarterfinal match against China’s Wang Xinyu due to a flare-up of her chronic back injury. What followed was a visceral display of frustration as Badosa smashed her racket four times on the court before tossing it aside, a gesture that captured the anguish of an athlete battling relentless physical setbacks. Hours later, her poignant social media post—“I’m so tired of this” with a broken heart emoji—laid bare the mental toll of her ongoing struggle, resonating with fans and sparking a wave of support.
Badosa’s journey in Berlin had begun with promise. After a third-round exit at the French Open, she arrived in Germany eager to build momentum on grass ahead of Wimbledon. Her campaign started strongly, with straight-set victories over local favorite Eva Lys and American top-10 player Emma Navarro, showcasing the aggressive, confident play that earned her the 2024 WTA Comeback Player of the Year award. Against Wang, however, the match took a grim turn. Wang dominated the first set 6-1, and Badosa, visibly uncomfortable, called for a medical timeout to treat her back. “She could barely run today,” one fan observed online, noting the stark contrast to her earlier form. Just three points into the second set, Badosa shook hands with Wang and the umpire before unleashing her fury on her racket.
The outburst, captured by cameras at Steffi Graf Stadion, was a rare glimpse into Badosa’s inner turmoil. Despite the potential for boos—grass courts are notoriously sensitive to damage—the Berlin crowd showed empathy, offering applause as she left the court, head bowed. “Badosa deserves credit for shaking hands respectfully despite the anger building inside her,” one commentator noted. Her chronic back injury, first reported in 2023 with a stress fracture and later diagnosed as a nerve-affecting issue in her L4 vertebra, has haunted her career. “It’s forever, it’s a chronic injury,” Badosa revealed in a May 2025 interview, accepting that she’ll retire young and face surgery the day after. She relies on painkillers and injections, knowing they may worsen her long-term health, but her passion for tennis drives her forward. “For me, it’s an obsession,” she said of her dream to win a Grand Slam.
The Berlin retirement marked Badosa’s second mid-match withdrawal of 2025, following a similar exit at the Merida Open Akron. She also pulled out of Madrid, Rome, and Indian Wells due to the same injury, which she described as leaving her “afraid” each morning. “Every day I wake up afraid,” she told Eurosport, detailing how nerve pain disrupts even daily tasks. Despite these challenges, Badosa’s 2025 season has had bright spots, including a semifinal run at the Australian Open, where she stunned Coco Gauff. Fans rallied behind her post-Berlin, with one writing, “You are such a fighter. Stay strong, warrior,” while another predicted, “You will turn this pain into power.”
Her boyfriend, Stefanos Tsitsipas, also tried to lift her spirits with a playful suggestion to “run away together” and start a food truck, a lighthearted gesture amid her heartbreak. As Wimbledon approaches on June 30, questions loom about Badosa’s fitness. Her resilience, however, remains undeniable. “I’m very stubborn,” she once said, vowing to play until her doctors force her to stop. Badosa’s Berlin exit was a painful chapter, but her story—of grit, passion, and defiance—promises more pages to come.
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