Tennis fans are something else. They cheer, cry, travel halfway across the world, and sometimes become part of a player’s story. Just ask Coco Gauff. After one of her matches, a fan named Maurice broke down in tears while meeting her. Turns out that he runs a fan page for her on Instagram. Gauff, visibly moved, responded sweetly, “Oh, don’t start crying, okay… Oh, you are so sweet.” Then there’s Nick Kyrgios. During the 2022 Cincinnati Open, he took some surprise coaching tips from a fan in the crowd—who actually told him how to serve. Kyrgios being Kyrgios, listened, and it worked! Now, Paula Badosa is revealing her craziest fan experience!
The Spaniard reached her first-ever Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open, showing she’s still got it. But it all started going downhill after that. She had to retire midway through her quarterfinal in Merida against Daria Saville. Then, she skipped Indian Wells entirely. After a promising third-round win over Clara Tauson in Miami, she pulled out again before her next match.
It’s been frustrating, no doubt. But her fans? Still right there with her. The 27-year-old recently opened up about her craziest fan experience. Badosa did a Q&A on Instagram where someone asked her about the craziest fan she’s met. Her answer was short and cool: “A tattoo. Love my fans.” That’s right, someone actually inked their love for Badosa permanently.
In return, Badosa is also very considerate of her fans. After her second-round win in Merida against Jaqueline Cristian, she spoke about how much she values them. In her on-court interview, she said, “Yeah, I think I played really well today. I think the atmosphere today was amazing, I was feeling well. I felt I wanted to go for it no matter what. I wanted to go a little bit fast today because it’s late so I think I achieved that. I know there’s people in Spain watching so I want to make them to go to sleep early today.” That match was scheduled for 8:30 PM local time in Mexico. Since Mexico is seven hours behind Spain, her fans back home were tuning in at 3:30 AM. Paula knew that. She knew they were staying up just for her—and she didn’t want them to wait too long.
Ironically, that same tournament is where the injury issue flared up again. But Badosa hasn’t given up. She has even revealed the date of her comeback and it turns out the fans won’t have to too long.
Paula Badosa reveals when she will be back on the court
If there’s one thing Paula Badosa knows, it’s how to make a comeback. She previously struggled with a stress fracture in 2023. The doctors had even recommended her to consider retirement. But the Spaniard made a glorious return in 2024. She made deep runs in Cincinnati and the U.S Open and even picked up a win at the Washington Open. The 27-year-old tennis player started her journey out of the top 100 and has since clawed her way back to World No.11.
In a recent interview with El Larguero, she explained what’s really going on this time around. “I’m doing well. I’m trying to take things positively, put things in perspective, and I’m doing fine. Physically? Well, I’ve had every test possible,” she said.
Badosa compared this new injury to her stress fracture from last year and said,“This time I was more scared than I should have been because it was on the opposite side. I’ve always had discomfort on the right side, and now it’s on the left. I was worried it was another stress fracture, but fortunately it isn’t.”
“I don’t have to break the news that I’ll be out of action for seven months,” she added. “Yes, it’s a small hernia that has moved from the vertebra, but I’m being treated for the best treatments, and my goal is to be back in Madrid.”
That means her fans won’t have to wait too long to see her again. Badosa has her eyes set on the WTA 1000 event in Madrid, which kicks off on April 22. Do you think she will come back stronger than ever? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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