Spanish tennis star Paula Badosa is shining a spotlight on a message from tennis legend Andre Agassi, emphasizing the importance of finding fulfillment through personal growth and daily effort rather than chasing external validation.
After months sidelined with a back injury, Badosa just returned to competitive tennis, and her embrace of Agassi’s philosophy offers insight into how elite athletes cope with setbacks.
How Is Paula Badosa Drawing Inspiration From Andre Agassi During Her Comeback?
Badosa’s hiatus began with her first-round exit at Wimbledon in late June, when she lost in three sets to Britain’s Katie Boulter. The early loss made her miss the North American hardcourt season, including the US Open.
After two months of recovery, she made her comeback at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen, China. Despite her determination, Badosa lost a tightly contested singles match against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 7-5, 2-6, 5-7, contributing to Team Spain’s exit in the quarterfinals.
Following the Billie Jean King Cup, Badosa landed in Beijing for her second China Open appearance, scheduled to start September 24. During preparations, she shared a video on her Instagram stories featuring Agassi, in which the retired legend discusses the illusions of success and failure. She captioned her stories, writing, “Inspiring.”
In the video, Agassi explained that reaching No. 1 in the world did not bring the satisfaction he expected, saying, “I went to No. 1 in the world, thinking that that was gonna be the end-all, thinking that making my dad happy about achieving that goal would somehow satisfy some deep place, and the truth is it didn’t. I got to number one in the world, and I’d never been so disconnected as I was.”
Andre Agassi shares how failure and success is an illusion pic.twitter.com/jPISrSiZXO
— . (@user_991827) September 24, 2025
Agassi described taking ownership of his life by focusing on daily goals and controllable aspects of his game, such as discipline, work ethic, and focus. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be back to number one, but I know one thing I can do. I know I can control what is in my control, which is my work ethic, my discipline, my focus, and my relentless spirit of trying to make myself that one day better,” he said.
By committing to this process, Agassi felt a newfound connection and momentum, eventually reaching the top again with a different perspective. He concluded, “Failure and success is an illusion. The only thing that’s a reality is the way you choose to engage with your life today.” The quotes come from Agassi’s Udemy bestseller course, ‘Elevate Your Tennis Game: Learn from Champion Andre Agassi.’
On the court, Badosa is seeded 18th at the WTA 1000 event in Beijing. The 2024 semifinalist received a bye into the second round, where she will take on either lucky loser Elsa Jacquemot or Antonia Ružić.
