Paula Badosa's career has been anything but smooth sailing, but she's never given up on her mantra, which is to fight at all costs.
Tennis is one of the hardest sports to play, and many players claim it themselves. There are numerous instances where some of the best players of all time have talked about the difficulty of playing tennis.
The sport demands an incredible amount of time and personal sacrifice, which can be very tough. Nobody knows that better than Badosa, whose trajectory was rather atypical.
A very talented player who had to work really hard to get where she is today, Badosa agrees that it's a brutal sport. In her talk with the Tennis Channel, she spoke about the sport and what inspires her to keep pushing forward.
"I completely agree. I think it’s [tennis] very, very tough, and it challenges you every day. It’s a very tough sport, and I think it’s also the fact that it is like an individual sport that makes it even tougher."
Coming from Spain allowed Badosa to find compatriots who paved the way. Rafael Nadal is an obvious example of someone who had to overcome quite a bit to reach the level he has, and she was inspired by that.
She was inspired by him never giving up and fighting which is a mindset she adopted during her rise as well.
"Well, that came after I promised myself I was going to fight and be a warrior on court. I think a little bit also having Rafa in our country inspired me a lot, and I started that year [2021] and I said no matter how I feel, no matter how I feel that day—mentally, physically, or how I feel my tennis—I'm going to be there; I’m going to fight."
The fight never ended for Badosa, who's currently fighting for her career. Injury after injury has kept her away from the courts for a while now. Hopefully, she will win this fight and return to the courts.