“I was thinking maybe I should quit because if I’m not in the highest level, I don’t want to play this sport,” Paula Badosa said last season, recalling her horrid injury struggles. However, her resurgence in 2024 – where she won the Washington Open title, played the Cincinati semis, made it to the US Open quarterfinals, and regained her spot in the top 50 in the world rankings – earned her the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award. Oozing with confidence, Badosa started her 2025 season with high hopes, but dark clouds loom again. What happened, though?
It has been a journey full of ups and downs for the Spaniard. After clinching the Indian Wells title in 2021, Paula Badosa became the world number 2 a year later. However, in 2023, she suffered a stress fracture in her L4/L5 vertebrae. Doctors informed her that she’d be requiring cortisone injections in her back to continue playing. While she overcame all those challenges to bounce back, she has now suffered another injury setback.
The 27-year-old Spaniard was forced to withdraw from her R64 match against America’s Caroline Dolehide at the Indian Wells Open due to a lower back injury! Just a few days ago, she was seen struggling in her QF match against Australia’s Daria Saville at the Merida Open Akron due to a similar lower-back injury. Although she won the first set against the Aussie by 6-1, Badosa had to call the physio when the scoreline was at 3-4 in the second set. She played on for one more set before forfeiting the match at 6-1,3-5.
Following the abrupt ending, she stated, “I had to pull out of the match in Merida because of lower back pain, but I’m already working on getting better. I’ll give it my all to get back on the court as soon as possible, with more energy than ever.”
Badosa tried her best to recover in time before the BNP Paribas Open. She even shared a picture on her IG account in which she could be seen lying on her front with several wires against her back. It seemed as if she was receiving intramuscular nerve stimulation to speed up the recovery process. The Spaniard captioned that post writing, “Step by Step.”
However, despite putting in those efforts to get back to her full fitness levels before the tournament, Badosa had to give up on her participation in the BNP Paribas. She recently shared an update with her fans, saying, “I’m very sorry to withdraw from one of my favorite tournaments. I tried until the last moment to play. I am really sad & hopefully will be back next year!” With Badosa’s recent withdrawal, German tennis player Eva Lys is now all set to take her spot in the draw.
2021 champion Paula Badosa has withdrawn due to a low back injury. Eva Lys takes her spot in the draw.
“I’m very sorry to withdraw from one of my favorite tournaments. I tried until the last moment to play. I am really sad & hopefully will be back next year!”#IndianWells
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 7, 2025
This 23-year-old German has already stunned the tennis world this year as a “lucky loser” at the 2025 AO. She became the first lucky loser to reach the R16 of the AO in the Open Era. Shortly after that incredible run, she made an entry into the Top 100. Lys is currently ranked 78th in the world and she’s now the German number one. So, there is a lot to cheer for her at the moment, but for Badosa?
Paula Badosa confirms her participation at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
Paula Badosa recently managed to make a comeback to the Top 10 in the world rankings. After achieving that incredible feat, she said, “It’s been crazy. I mean, just thinking that I’m a top 10 again. I did it once before the injury, and doing it twice for me…it’s amazing! I’m really proud, especially all the struggles. This time of the season last year, I was still feeling a lot of pain. So getting here one year after, Top 10 means the world for me.” However, the Spaniard doesn’t want to stop here!
She already mentioned that her next target would be finishing the year inside the Top 5 and booking a spot at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. However, to get to that stage, she needs to find a bit more consistency and grab a few more wins. Talking about wins, she currently has a win-loss record of 10-7 this year. Her best performance came at the AO, where she reached the SF, only to be beaten by her close friend, Aryna Sabalenka 4-6,2-6.
Paula Badosa now needs to get back to her full fitness level as soon as possible if she really wants to retain her Top 10 spot. While she might have withdrawn from the Indian Wells, the Spanish star recently confirmed her participation at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Remember, she reached the last four here in 2022, and then a day later, her incredible run was rewarded by the number 2 spot in the women’s singles ranking.
It’ll be interesting to see if Badosa can make a strong comeback on the Tour following the withdrawal from the Indian Wells. Do you think she can win a title this year?
The post Injury Woes Derail Paula Badosa as She Withdraws From Indian Wells, Giving Australian Open ‘Lucky Loser’ Eva Lys a Shot appeared first on EssentiallySports.
