Paula Badosa has been missing a lot of time with injuries recently, and she revealed how severe the problem is.
Seeing Badosa play on the tennis court, you don't really see a frail tennis player. The Spaniard loves to spend time in the gym and is a dedicated worker, which is why her injury struggles were a bit surprising at first.
She missed a few events but then missed some more, and it quickly became evident that her struggles were severe. They are serious, and Badosa revealed recently in the WTA Insider Podcast just how serious it really is.
"Honestly, I have goosebumps again, because in Indian Wells the doctors told me it’ll be very complicated to continue my career. And I said, okay, I need a solution – something."
"So you know, we tried these injections – cortisone. And they said, this is the only option we can give you and maybe you will have to keep doing that if you want to play for a few more years. "I’m like, a few more years? I’m still 26."
That was a pretty hard thing to hear for Badosa because, at 26, she's supposed to be able to be at her best. And she was getting a prognosis that basically told her to limit her tennis time and not expect to play another for many more years.
"So for me that was very tough. And you’ll have to handle, especially the hardcourt, you have to play very less, and play less tournaments and all this. So for me (who) loves to compete, that was a very, very bad news. Constant suffering."
A return to clay at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart looked promising, but then she suffered another injury that had nothing to do with her back, and it's just heartbreaking to see.