Paula Badosa on her chronic injury: “I am going to retire young”
The Spaniard’s back problem, which forced her out of Madrid, will exist ‘forever’ – according to Badosa
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Paula Badosa has admitted that her back injury, which forced her to withdraw from the WTA 1000 event in Madrid, is ‘chronic’ and will force her to ‘retire young’.
The 27-year-old has had a very successful last nine months, making the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open and the China Open, before reaching her maiden last four appearance at the 2025 Australian Open – where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka.
However, Badosa withdrew from her round of 16 match at the Miami Open against Alex Eala, before pulling out of the Madrid Masters prior to her first scheduled match – both due to back discomfort.
The issue is a long-standing situation, with the back pain causing her to miss the last five months of the 2023 season.
In a recent interview with Eurosport ([translated from Spanish], the Spaniard opened up on her injury troubles:
“It’s a chronic injury. What happened is that this time is different, I still have the pain on my right side under control, but now it comes suddenly and touches the nerve. It’s like a hernia that has moved, I could play with this, the problem is that it’s touching my nerve now. With this I can’t even lead a normal life.
“In Miami I got the strong pain, the whiplash. Since then, it has been almost four weeks without being able to do anything, neither tennis nor normal life. I spent the first few days in Monaco, I remember that I couldn’t even watch TV because I couldn’t find a position to sit down without pain. The first infiltration did absolutely nothing to me, I was desperate, there I was really bad. With the second infiltration it stopped hurting me, it allowed me to lead a normal life, then it was [back] when I started to train and do gym little by little.
“Every day I wake up with fear. I’m not deceiving you, this week I had to send messages to Pol [Toledo] at 05:00 in the morning because I couldn’t sleep, I can’t handle the question of whether my back will be fine that day or if I’ll be able to lead a normal life. Mentally it is what is costing me the most.”
I couldn’t even watch TV because I couldn’t find a position to sit down without pain
At 27-years-old, Badosa admits that she is closer to the end of her career than the beginning.
“I have no choice [but to keep going], I’m very stubborn,” Badosa admitted.
“For me to retire, the doctors would have to tell me, and I am in daily contact with them. I have told him many times: ‘until you operate on me and there is no solution, I will continue with the infiltrations’, even knowing how bad they feel and how harmful they are to the body.
“Many [of the infiltrations] hurt me a lot physically, but if that allows me to compete I will continue to do it. It’s part of my character.
“I’m sure, I’ve assimilated that [I will retire young]. Having such a strong character has helped me to accept this over time, I know that I am going to retire young and the next day I will go straight to the operating room. I know this because of the career I have and the problems I have in my back.”
