"Everyone expected me to be top 10 at 18 and I wasn't ready": Badosa on how Sharapova comparisons affected her

Paula Badosa doesn't like to be compared to Maria Sharapova explaining that those comparison simply put a lot of pressure on tennis players.

Badosa has been open about her struggles with mental health in the past and she's never portrayed herself as an athlete that is able to handle all of it perfectly. Highly regarded as a junior coming up, Badosa was proclaimed the next Sharapova as many expected her to break out as a teenager which put a lot of pressure on her:

"Getting upset not because they compared me to a legend who played tennis very well and was also very elegant, but it put a pressure on me that I was not used to and that I did not know how to manage. Everyone expected me to be top 10 at 18 and I wasn't ready physically, mentally, or tennisally for it."

She's now older and much more comfortable with herself knowing what works for her. Having a good team around her certainly helps:

"I have a team and an environment that also supports me a lot and that is more concerned about the Paula, person, than the Paula, tennis player. They make me see that if you improve every day and you are good with yourself, if there is talent, the results end up coming."