'Mentally tough' Paula Badosa went from likely retirement and sitting on the couch to Last 16 at Wimbledon

Paula Badosa was noted as getting emotional after she defeated Daria Kasatkina and she had every right to be given the ordeal she has gone through over the past 12 months.

From being on top of the tennis world, her decline also saw a near career ending injury and one that she still has to manage until this day. Admitting previously she needs injections in order to even continue her career, many would've thrown in the towel but not Badosa. She plays for a spot in the Quarter-Finals later this week.

“Last year I had to retire and then it took me about 10 months, I was on the couch watching tournaments from home. Also when I started this year, I didn’t know what was going to happen. The doctors told me that I might not be able to continue. I’ve always been very mentally tough and a fighter, so I was going to do it anyway. So I’m very proud that I went through all that," Badosa said after the match.

"Now I’m back in the fourth round and playing at a good level again. Sometimes when I came back at the beginning of the year I also suffered a lot, my level wasn’t there. I still feel far away, but to see myself back here, it means a lot.”

“Deep down in my heart I didn’t accept it. I thought: ‘I’m going to keep going no matter what.' I also think that made me the player I am, that I always want more and I’m always going to fight no matter how difficult it is," Badosa said.

"Obviously there are moments of pain and you don’t know what to do, you’re a bit lost, but I don’t care. I remember telling my team that I was going to play in pain. In the end we handled it very well, so I’m happy. I think I have great and very professional people around me, that helps me every day.”

“There are days when I feel worse than others, but it’s manageable. There are other days when it’s tough, but I also control a lot the tournaments I play, the days I train and the days I have off. I like going to the gym, I like working hard, but there are days when I can’t do that. So I’m managing it very well. I may take more days off than I would like, but that’s the only way."