"Having Rafael Nadal in our country inspired me a lot"

Paula Badosa recently expressed that she has been inspired by having Rafael Nadal hail from her country.

Badosa endured a challenging 2023 season marred by injuries. She kicked off her 2024 campaign at the Adelaide International, hoping to have a good year. However, her aspirations were dashed when she suffered a first-round defeat at the hands of Bernarda Pera. The disappointment continued at the Australian Open, where she faced a third-round exit against Amanda Anisimova.

Unfortunately, Badosa's injury woes resurfaced at the Hua Hin Championships, forcing her to withdraw during her second-round match against Diana Schneider due to a nagging lower back injury. Despite this setback, she made a return to the Qatar Open, only to be defeated by Leylah Fernandez in the second round.

The Dubai Tennis Championships saw Paula Badosa once again getting sidelined, this time during her first-round match against Lulu Sun due to her persistent lower back injury. Her string of misfortunes led to her withdrawal from the 2024 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, with Argentinian qualifier Nadia Podoroska taking her place.

Recently, speaking on the "Tennis Channel Inside-In" podcast, Paula Badosa reflected on the demanding nature of tennis, emphasizing the daily challenges it presents. She highlighted that tennis being an individual sport makes it much more tougher, underscoring the mental fortitude required to succeed.

“I completely agree. I think it’s [tennis] very, very tough, and it challenges you every day. It’s a very tough sport, and I think it’s also the fact that it is like an individual sport that makes it even tougher,” Badosa said (at 8:42).

Badosa also revealed that she draws inspiration from fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal. She credited the 22-time Grand Slam champion with instilling in her a "warrior" mentality, which encourages her to approach each match with determination regardless of her physical or mental state on a given day.

"Well, that came after I promised myself I was going to fight and be a warrior on court. I think a little bit also having Rafa in our country inspired me a lot, and I started that year [2021] and I said no matter how I feel, no matter how I feel that day—mentally, physically, or how I feel my tennis—I'm going to be there; I’m going to fight, she added (at 9:09).

Paula Badosa: "Changing moment in my career when I won over Ashleigh Barty"

Paula Badosa and Ashleigh Barty at the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open

In the aforementioned podcast, Paula Badosa also discussed how her win over then World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the 2021 Charleston Open quarterfinals, in straight sets (6-4, 6-3), boosted her confidence in her ability to compete against and defeat top players.

“I had, like, maybe a changing moment in my career when I won over Ashleigh Barty. She was No. 1 in the world. My mind was like, ‘Oh! If I won No. 1 in the world, then maybe I can beat the other players,’” Paula Badosa said (at 9:20).

Badosa also talked about competing at the Madrid Open - a tournament played on her home turf in Spain. She acknowledged the challenge of playing in front of a home crowd but emphasized that she always gives her best effort and aims to savor the experience of playing on familiar ground as much as possible.

“I’m very passionate and very emotional. So I feel that energy there [playing in Madrid] a lot. I love it, but at the same time I get really nervous when I play there. It’s a big challenge to play in our home country, but yeah, I tried to give it my 100% and to enjoy it as much as I can because it’s a unique thing,” she added (at 10:11).