Paula Badosa is not a fan of people comparing her to the likes of Maria Sharapova explaining that it puts a lot of pressure on her.
Paula Badosa had a breakout season in 2021 but the Spaniard hasn't followed that up with a lot of good tennis after that. Up and down form with generally lacklustre results saw her slide out of the top 10 where she once was.
The moment she broke out, the comparisons started to roll in and many compared her to Maria Sharapova. It's a flattering one but for Badosa it's also one that generates pressure that she doesn't really need. Being one of the better Spanish players already takes care of that.
Getting upset not because they compared me to a legend who played tennis very well and was also very elegant, but it put a pressure on me that I was not used to and that I did not know how to manage. Everyone expected me to be top 10 at 18 and I wasn't ready physically, mentally, or tennisally for it.
Badosa has been very open about her mental health problems in the past and she's very keen on highlighting that athletes deal with issues like that. She is now doing much better with a team that supports her and a lot of people that love her.
I have a team and an environment that also supports me a lot and that is more concerned about the Paula, person, than the Paula, tennis player. They make me see that if you improve every day and you are good with yourself, if there is talent, the results end up coming.
Clay season is a good chance for her to improve her results and ranking but she will need to improve her results as she showed signs of promising form in the recent months.
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