Paula Badosa Forced To Withdraw From Abu Dhabi Open

| by Erik Virostko

Paula Badosa has withdrawn from the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open, which is a WTA 500 tournament, running from February 5th.

After the Spanish player retired from her match in Hua Hin, it was surprising for some fans to see her in the Abu Dhabi Open draw. Badosa was set to play Anhelina Kalinina from Ukraine in her first match at the tournament, but that won't happen.

Although her update after Thailand Open withdrawal was positive, it seems that the former world no. 2 isn't ready to compete yet, withdrawing from the upcoming Abu Dhabi Open.

The news came from Spanish media, as Marca reported that the 26-year-old announced her withdrawal with an accompanying statement to explain her situation.

"I am very sorry to have to retire from Abu Dhabi, because I really wanted to play there. I hope I can come back next year and play in front of all the fans."

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For Badosa, the withdrawal makes another in series of injury-influenced decisions, and after having to spend the majority of the 2023 season on the sidelines, the Spanish player certainly doesn't want to risk anything this year.

With the Middle Eastern Swing coming up, with the WTA 1000 tournaments in Doha and Dubai, and the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami Open) soon after that, Badosa's intentions are probably more than clear.

The Spanish player wants to avoid making her injury even worse, and preserve her body for the four WTA 1000 tournaments, which are all played within a span of six weeks.

Those will be very important for Badosa as she doesn't need to regain only fitness and confidence, but also her ranking, which peaked at the world no. 2 spot during her career. Currently, she's 83rd in the WTA Rankings, which is a lot below where she used to be before she started to struggle with injuries.

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