Paola Badosa, a former No. 2 in the world, is planning to “rise again” amid injury troubles, she indicated on Instagram. The Spaniard has been recuperating in Dubai, her primary residence, following a heartbreaking loss to British hope Katie Boulter at Wimbledon.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka Has Expressed Joy at Paula Badosa’s Optimism Amid Injury
Badosa recently took to Instagram, where she posted a series of recent pictures from her life in Dubai.
“Injury slowed me down,” she captioned the post, “but home gave me the space to rise again.”
Some of the photos showed the Spaniard enjoying her life in Dubai, while a few others showed her in a hospital, suggesting that she has been healing her injuries.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka noted Badosa’s renewed optimism. “Finally my fav person is happy,” Sabalenka wrote underneath Badosa’s Instagram post. “Love you,” she added.
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The duo has been fierce competitors on court but maintains a strong bond off the court. They have described each other as “soulmates” and often spend time together during tournaments.
A stress fracture in Badosa’s lower back forced her to end her 2023 season and made her consider retirement. Earlier this month, Badosa confirmed that she had been struggling with an injury since before Wimbledon.
“Hi everyone, been disconnected for a while, but I wanted to update you on my situation right now,” she wrote in an Instagram story.
The Spaniard added, “I’ve been going through some tough moments lately. Unfortunately, I’ve been dealing with a tear on my psoas since before Wimbledon, and it’s going to keep me out of competition for a few weeks.”
Earlier this year, she had to withdraw from the Madrid, and Rome Opens due to a particularly concerning injury.
“It’s been a tough injury, honestly, this one because it was totally different from the last one,” she disclosed. “It was an injury that was touching the nerves, so I was constantly having pain. My normal life was a disaster, honestly, I couldn’t even move from the couch.”
Badosa made it into the third round of the French Open but was forced to retire injured while trailing her opponent, Veronika Kudermetova.
She was also forced to retire midway through her match against world No. 49 Wang Xinyu in the grass tournament in Berlin.
Paula Badosa Has Overcome Injuries To Re-Enter the Top 10 in the World Rankings
After being sidelined with injuries in 2023, Badosa’s resurgence began in 2024 and carried strong momentum into 2025.
The Spaniard slowly rebuilt her form after starting 2024 ranked No. 66 and falling as low as No. 140 in May due to chronic back injuries and multiple mid-match retirements.
Key breakthroughs included a fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon, a title win at the Washington Open (her first in nearly two years), and semi-final runs at the WTA 1000 events in Cincinnati and Beijing.
She also reached the quarterfinals at the US Open 2024 and ended the season ranked No. 12. Her efforts earned her the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award.
In 2025, Badosa continued her upward climb. Seeded 11th at the Australian Open, she reached her first-ever major semifinal. The result secured her return to the world’s top 10 for the first time since early 2023.
