Paula Badosa follows Nadal’s steps, becomes Ambassador for Saudi Arabia's PIF

Paula Badosa is following in the footsteps of Rafael Nadal, signing on as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia to "help advance tennis, empower the next generation of players, and create opportunities for everyone." The former World No. 2 announced on Instagram her collaboration with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The Arab nation's investments in tennis are not new: they already have Rafael Nadal as an ambassador and have made a massive splash with the Six Kings Slam—the exhibition that offers the highest prize money in tennis history for the champion. Just for competing, each player will pocket $1.5 million, while the winner takes an additional $4.5 million.

The Saudis also have multi-million dollar investments hosting the WTA Finals in Riyadh and the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah. Furthermore, their long-recognized intention has been to secure a new Masters 1000 event, the tenth on the calendar, to be played in January before the Australian Open starting in 2027. The hiring of Badosa as a public face is yet another Saudi investment in tennis.

"What made me want to collaborate with PIF is that we share the same values; PIF is about advancing tennis and empowering the next generation and creating opportunities for everyone," said Badosa, who has resided in Dubai (UAE) for years.

One of PIF's most significant proposals for the WTA is the creation of a monetary fund for female tennis players who decide to become mothers, ensuring they can have income during their leave from the circuit.

The World No. 18 Paula Badosa faced injury issues again this weekend in her third-round match at the China Open—where she was defending semifinal points—and was forced to retire after just six games, giving a free pass to her rival Karolina Muchova (4-2, ret.) into the Round of 16.

The Spaniard reached a total of 37 career mid-match retirements—this year it also happened in Merida in March (against Saville) and then in Berlin (against Wang). She also had to pull out at the last minute in Indian Wells, retired mid-tournament at the Miami Open, and subsequently missed several clay-swing tournaments, including the Madrid and Rome Opens.

Badosa had reappeared last week defending Spain in the Billie Jean King Cup, where she lost to Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in three sets. Back on the Tour, she debuted this week with a 6-3, 7-6(2) win over Antonia Ruzic. However, just two days after the victory, she was once again forced to abandon a match.

A couple of days later, Badosa announced that she was ending her season to face another long period of recovery due to her persistent back injury. The Spaniard will not return to the courts until 2026. At the moment, she is likely to finish the season barely inside the Top 30, considering she is No. 23 in the Race—though several players are just details away from surpassing her in the coming weeks.