Paula Badosa honored with Spain's AS Sports Award

Spaniard Paula Badosa capped off her incredible 2021 season with another big win, as she took home top honors at the AS Sports Awards gala in Madrid on Tuesday night.

The 24-year old received one of the biggest awards of the night as she took home the AS Sports Award, a prize which recognizes Spain’s most outstanding and inspirational sportspersons of the year. The moment came full circle, as Badosa had previously received the AS Sporting Promise Award in 2015 after winning the Roland Garros girls’ title.

"For me today is very special," said an emotional Badosa. "I was here about six years ago when I received the Sporting Promise Award, and my words back then were, ‘I hope one day I will come back and make this into a reality.’ To be here six years later is the product of a lot of hard work and of dreams coming true,” she said.

“If you enjoy the journey and you fight and you believe in yourself, it will come true.”

Ranked World No. 70 at the start of the year, Badosa’s 2021 began with a tough battle against COVID-19 in Australia. But she shook off the hardships and got to work, amassing victories over World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka. She ended the year with an inspired run to a WTA 1000 title in Indian Wells, her WTA Finals debut and finished the season ranked at World No.8.