Badosa’s emotional journey to DC Open victory: “I couldn't stop crying”

Paula Badosa stated that the rain delay in the DC Open final helped her release her emotions after crying as she left the court. The 26-year-old Spaniard won her first title in 30 months after defeating Marie Bouzkova 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to claim her second WTA 500 title.

It was a tough day for the former world No. 2, who had to overcome two delays in the match, in the second and third sets, similar to what had happened throughout much of the tournament with rain suspensions.

Injuries seemed to disrupt Badosa’s career, as she hadn’t had enough consistency over the last year. She was out of all competitions in the second half of 2023 due to a back injury, and her return this year hadn’t yet propelled her back to the top rankings.

After a great week, Badosa won the title, defeating rivals such as Sofia Kenin, Emma Raducanu, and Liudmila Samsonova along the way. In the final, she faced a surprising Bouzkova, who had previously stunned Aryna Sabalenka.

After a dominant first set from Badosa, which she won 6-1, a single break in the second set made the difference for Bouzkova, who sealed the set 6-4, with a pause included minutes before. Just before starting the third set, the umpire declared a second rain delay before the decisive set could be played.

"I came out of the court [after the second set] crying so much,” Badosa said. “Really, I couldn't stop crying. My team didn't know what to do because I just cried non-stop... I think that also helped me a bit to release my emotions because I was really, really nervous."

"Then after crying, like, I don't know how much time... I calmed down. I changed. I'm like, 'Paula, it's a set, just give everything you can'... It worked pretty well. I took my opportunities. Look, I'm very proud of how I dealt with it," she added.

Upon returning to the court some hours later, Badosa regained control of the match and secured the victory with a 6-4 in the third set. The Spaniard had an exuberant reaction after winning a title again following a difficult period.

According to Badosa, the first thing she did after winning the title was call her boyfriend, Stefanos Tsitsipas, who had been competing that week in Paris 2024: "Yeah, it's the first thing I did on court. I called my family and Stefanos, of course, because I know they're always there for me. They've been in the tough moments. They've seen me very, very down this last year," Badosa said.

"I wanted to live the moments with them because of course without them I wouldn't be here because they support me every day, 24/7. There were moments that I didn't know what to do with my career. They were there," she added.