Paula Badosa appears to be back in excellent physical shape ahead of December's World Tennis League tournament.
The former World No. 2 shared a video on her social media platforms of an intense training workout in the gym, where she engaged in various levels of stretching, lifting weights, and throwing the slam ball as she tried to build her physique and fitness.
Badosa has been sidelined from playing tennis since July after a spinal stress fracture forced her to retire in her second-round match at Wimbledon. The back issue initially cropped up at the Italian Open, and even though she played the remainder of the tournament, she withdrew from Roland Garros.
Overall, Badosa ended up missing the entire second half of the season, including the three of the four Grand Slams in 2023. She gave up hope when she announced on the eve of the US Open that she was shutting down her season and channeling her focus on recovery.
But there was light at the end of the tunnel. Badosa rang Spain's Billie Jean King Cup team captain Anabel Median Garrigues to inform her of her availability for the Finals which were held in Seville. In the conversation, Badosa admitted she was not "feeling pain" and that was sufficient to get a call into the team.
However, she did not feature in any rubbers on either singles or doubles because of her limited fitness. Spain was eliminated in the group stage as Badosa watched. But her 2024 return to the tour is going according to plan now that she has stepped up her training plans.
Badosa will use the December exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, which is played in a team format, to fine-tune her game. She has been paired with her Greek boyfriend and ATP star Stefanos Tsitsipas, WTA World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, and Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov.
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