"The doctors told me it would be very complicated to continue my career": Paula Badosa faced retirement decision at Indian Wells

Monday, 22 April 2024 at 13:39

Paula Badosa, speaking candidly with Courtney Nguyen on the WTA Insider Podcast, has confessed for the first time in public that doctors in Indian Wells told her that her career could be over and what she is doing to move forward with it beyond knowing that she won't be able to extend it too long due to her physical problems.

This is Paula Badosa's chilling account of her near-retirement: “In Indian Wells, the doctors told me it would be very complicated to continue my career, and I said: ‘Ok, I need a solution, something. We tried these injections of cortisone and they said this is the only option we can give you, and maybe you’ll have to keep doing that if you want to play for a few more years.

“I was like: ‘a few more years, I’m still 26.’ For me that was very tough and I’ll have to handle hard court especially, play less tournaments and all this. This is like the first time that I am opening up, so I’m still pretty scared. They said this may work for a few months but we’ll have to check again, so I’m scared I’ll have to stop again.

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“It’s all the time chasing this, waking up every morning and the pain it’s there and sometimes I could not handle it, but now I can. At least that’s the positive thing.

Of course, after the blow and despite the continuing physical problems, Badosa says she will keep trying and will try to return to the top 10 of the WTA:

“I’m treating myself every day,” Badosa added. "So for me being able to play three, four more years would be amazing, and of course this year to play the full year, and achieve the highest ranking possible. I don’t like to put numbers, but I would like to be top 30 and top 10 again would be amazing, but I think top 10 this year is too much after all. Maybe in a year or a year and a half I would like to be back there.”

Melanie Lautrup

@melanie_lautrup

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Paula Badosa revealed to Courtney Nguyen on the WTA Insider Podcast that during Indian Wells, doctors told her that continuing her career would be very complicated She was given cortisone shots & told she may need to keep receiving them if she wants to play for a few more years

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9:46 AM · Apr 22, 2024

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