Paula Badosa misses the rigors of tennis tournaments, competing and testing herself against the very best in the sport.
They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and for the first time since shutting down her season due to injury, Badosa confessed to missing tennis in a fervid post on Instagram. It's been so surreal to spend months away from the Tour and she's hoping to return 'sooner' rather than 'later'.
Badosa has endured an injury-riddled 2023 season, playing 27 matches, and finishing with an 18-9 record. She was forced to miss two Grand Slams due to injury - the Australian Open and French Open. At Wimbledon, her back problems that derailed her clay-court swing resurfaced.
The 25-year-old retired midway through her second-round match at SW19 and was never to be seen again in action. Badosa briefly held hope of appearing in North America but issued an update on the eve of the US Open that 'the pain wasn't letting me move' in regards to a stress fracture in her spine and decided to pull the plug for the rest of the season.
Badosa's post has a photo in which she could be seen fist pumping in relief during the tournament in Madrid, calling it her favorite picture. It's not hard to explain why. The Madrid Open is her home tournament and was one of three events she managed to defeat a Top 10 player this season.
The Spaniard appears to be back to her current residence in Dubai judging by the location of her post. She hasn't quite resumed comprehensive training, but Badosa remains hopeful of making her comeback sooner, with the Australian summer series an ideal starting point for the 2024 season.
" One of my favorite pics… I’ve never missed something more than this sport. Since I’m a little girl I’ve never experienced so many months away from it. All this time off I realize that setbacks are part life and it’s a way to learn and grow. It’s really tough being away for so long but hopefully sooner than later I’m that little girl playing and enjoying it again."
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