Paula Badosa endured a really tricky match against Daria Kasatkina at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, and she was in tears after the hard-fought victory.
Badosa has dealt with unprecedented amounts of bad luck in the past two years. Multiple injuries and a chronic back injury all contributed to a state of almost helplessness for the former world number two, who endured months and months of struggles.
She tried hard to get back onto the courts but only managed to play sporadically this year, as the chronic back injury will likely never go away. She was very emotional when she announced that it was likely going to cut her career shorter than she had hoped, but despite all the darkness, Badosa shined bright in white in London on Friday.
She took on an in-form Kasatkina, who had just won a trophy at the WTA 500 event in Eastbourne last week. The match lasted almost three hours, and Badosa came back from a 2-4 deficit in the final set to win it 6-4 to advance to the next round.
The win meant a lot to Badosa, who was in tears immediately after the match ended and reflected on her emotions in the post-match interview, during which she also struggled to hold back tears.
"I mean, against Dasha is always a battle. She's such a great player; she's been at the top for so many years. For me, it's very special. I know it's not the first time in the second week, but I think this is the most special one because a few months ago, I didn't know if I could play tennis anymore, so being here today is special."
Being in the second week of a major is a huge achievement for Badosa, who worked really hard to find herself there. She will be very dangerous because, on the grass with the serve, she's a very difficult opponent to overcome for anyone.