Paula Badosa has been battling a persistent back injury since 2023, when a stress fracture threatened to derail her career entirely. But she fought her way back, making a breakthrough last year by reaching her first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal. Her strong start to 2025, highlighted by a semifinal run at the Australian Open, marked a return to the Top 10 and a renewed sense of momentum. However, her injury woes have slowly crept back again and fans are clearly running out of patience.
The Spanish star, who’s been battling recurring back injuries for over a year, kicked off her grass season in Berlin with two convincing wins. She breezed past German wildcard Eva Lys 6-1, 6-3 and followed that up with a solid 7-6(2), 6-3 victory over American Emma Navarro. But just when it looked like things were finally turning around, Badosa was forced to retire midway through her quarterfinal match against qualifier Wang Xinyu.
She looked out of sorts right from the start, losing the first set 6-1. A medical timeout earlier in the set saw a doctor come out and administer medication, but it didn’t seem to help. With Wang leading and Badosa staring down triple break point at 0-40 in the first game of the second set, the 2025 Australian Open semifinalist called it quits.
It’s yet another abrupt end to a match for the former world No. 2, who had only just returned to action during the French Open after missing most of the clay swing due to injury.
Fans React to Paula Badosa’s Mid-Match Exit
Paula Badosa’s latest retirement didn’t sit well with tennis fans, many of whom took to X to voice their frustrations.
Paula Badosa feels unwell and retires from her Berlin quarterfinal vs Xinyu Wang
Wishing Paula a speedy recovery for Wimbledon #BTO pic.twitter.com/prdpRJhGF8
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 20, 2025
One fan doubted the retirement and wrote, “Kinda weird. Feels unwell but well enough to smash her racket?”
Another fan echoed that statement and wrote, “Energy to smash a racket but can’t even move to return a serve ”
A third fan speculated on the injury, writing, “Definitely not her back?”
The post Paula Badosa Makes Shocking Berlin Exit as Injury Twist Triggers Fan Backlash appeared first on EssentiallySports.
