Paula Badosa has played some of the best tennis she's ever played in recent weeks, but she also suffered a lot of heartbreak during that time, and after the most recent disappointment, she penned an emotional message.
Only a couple of years ago, Badosa was the World No. 2 player on the WTA Tour, playing superb tennis with seemingly a very bright future ahead. Everything went horribly after that because the Spanish player started to struggle with injuries, most notably a back injury that turned out to be chronic and managed for the rest of her career.
It became apparent that she wouldn't be able to play as long as she would have liked, which would be disappointing for any athlete. It was very tough to endure because she was unable to control the state of her career. It was a nightmare, and she was living it.
It got so bad at times that she genuinely thought she had to stop her career. Earlier this year, around the time the Madrid Open came around, Badosa was certain that her career was over.
Nothing was working, but she kept pushing, telling herself that giving up was not an option and that it would work out for her. She was able to get back to health and start playing.
The more she played, the better she played, and her body held up as well. Her first trophy came in Washington, followed up by a very solid outing at the US Open, even though it ended in a very painful loss to Emma Navarro.
Badosa was back, and she finally felt like her former self, but the gratitude for that feeling wasn't enough to wash away the disappointment of some other losses. Losing the way she did was painful for her, but tennis players don't have any time to grieve. The season is long and unforgiving.
She had to find focus again because she was in Beijing for the China Open. It was another wonderful run for Badosa, who was in the semi-final against Gauff, hoping to secure the final.
She was very close to it, but ultimately started struggling to keep the same level as the match went on, losing in three sets, and it was a painful loss for the Spanish player.
This was yet another disappointment in a long list of disappointments, and she penned an emotional message on her X (formerly Twitter) profile after the loss to Gauff, who ended up winning the tournament in Beijing.
"There are times that are managed better and others worse… I continue to learn from each one of them. I continue to rise from each situation. I remain proud of each step forward. That's what life is all about. Lucky to be where I am today. It's a gift. Thank you to everyone who is on this boat with me."
As Badosa concluded in her message, while the disappointments are painful, being where she is now is much preferable to where she was months ago, and that's what her focus should be on. She's back to playing good tennis and, more importantly, playing at all.