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Paula Badosa recently opened up about her chronic back injury, making some brutally honest admissions about what it means for her and her career. The Spaniard had to withdraw from the Madrid Open at home as a consequence of the same, rendering her unavailable for her home tournament.
After almost becoming the World No. 1 in 2022, disaster struck for Badosa in 2023, when she felt the injury in her back for the first time. Initially, it was rumored that she had no alternative but to retire permanently from tennis as a result of it. However, the former World No. 2 did the unimaginable, making a comeback in 2024 after falling out of the top 100 at one point.
Badosa finished the year as the World No. 12, winning the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award. In 2025, she started the year strong, reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open and re-entering the top 10 in the world.
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Now, despite all the success she has accumulated in recent times, Paula Badosa maintains that the injury is not completely out of her mind, and perhaps never will be. Opening up to Eurosport, the Spaniard shockingly revealed that she wakes up scared every day, worried that it might be her last day of playing tennis.
Badosa called it the hardest part of life at the moment for her, living with the constant uncertainty of how her back was going to behave every day.
"Every day I wake up feeling scared. I'm not kidding, this week I had to text Pol Toledo at 5:00 a.m. because I couldn't sleep. I can't cope with the uncertainty of whether my back will be okay that day or whether I'll be able to live a normal life. Mentally, that's what's been the hardest for me," Paula Badosa said.
Speaking about her Madrid Open withdrawal in particular, Badosa admitted that she initially did not think the injury that she sustained at the Miami Open, was that serious.
"There's always going to be a bit of risk, that's what bothers me the most. In Miami, I remember feeling really good in the first match. I'd been playing sets for a week without any problems, but after the sixth game, I got a pain and went crazy."
"I'm a very emotional person; I didn't know if the pain was serious, if it was due to stress, or just a bad move," Badosa said.
"It's frustrating" - Paula Badosa on living with her chronic back injury
Continuing in the interview, Paula Badosa minced no words about living with her chronic back injury, saying that it was often frustrating. The Spaniard emphasized how she had to decide whether to retire or keep playing every time she felt the pain resurface, meaning she had to play against not only her opponent on the day but also her own body.
"In those moments, you're lost. I thought: either I retire or I try to keep going. Of course, often by not retiring, you're making it even worse. There are times when I find myself not even playing with the opponent; it's frustrating," Paula Badosa said.
Despite not playing, Badosa was in attendance at the 2025 Madrid Open, cheering on her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek reached the Round of 32 before falling to Lorenzo Musetti.
