Paula Badosa's 'before and after pickle juice' stat goes viral as Spaniard mounts brilliant comeback at United Cup 2023

Paula Badosa had to fight hard in her opening match of 2023. In serious trouble at one stage of her United Cup match against Harriet Dart on Sunday, Badosa was helped by her teammates, including Rafael Nadal, a packed crowd at the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, and some 'pickle juice.'

At 7-6(6), 4-4 in Dart's favor during Match 3 of Spain's United Cup tie against Great Britain, Badosa was forced to seek some help from the on-court trainer as she suffered from severe cramps at a crucial stage in the match. The Spanish star was given pickle juice as part of the treatment.

The treatment seemed to work wonders as Badosa broke Dart's serve with some blistering groundstrokes in the very next game after her medical timeout. While many forgot about the treatment, an interesting graphic displayed on air later in the match cheekily highlighted that it was the 'pickle juice' that spelled magic for Badosa.

As per the stat, which quickly went viral on social media and beyond and caused a few chuckles, Badosa's average forehand topspin speed went up by 10 kmph before and after she drank the pickle juice.

While Badosa's serve was broken back right away, she maintained her newfound momentum in the match and won the second-set tiebreak. She then dominated the final set to register a 6-7(6), 7-6(5), 6-1 win over Dart.

"Very happy with the fight tonight" - Paula Badosa reflects on stellar comeback in United Cup 2023 opener

Paula Badosa celebrates during her 2023 United Cup match against Harriet Dart.

Speaking after a rollercoaster battle in her opening match of the 2023 United Cup, Paula Badosa shared her views on the sudden injury issues and her impressive comeback to help keep Team Spain alive in the tie. Badosa highlighted that her aggressive attitude towards the end of the second set and throughout the third set eventually made a difference, further expressing pride in her fighting abilities.

"I don't know what happened at the second set, I started a little bit to cramp," Paula Badosa said after the match, according to WTA.

"It was high intensity, first match of the year, I was nervous. But I could adapt myself. I started to play a little bit more aggressive. I'm very happy with the fight tonight because I played and fought until the last moment," the 25-year-old added.

Unfortunately, for Team Spain, Dan Evans beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the match to clinch the tie for Team Great Britain. Spain face hosts Australia in their next Group D tie at the 2023 United Cup, where Badosa is scheduled to face Zoe Hives in her singles match, before also teaming up with Rafael Nadal for a mixed doubles match.