Paula Badosa is finally winning again, but she refuses to pretend the trophies have erased the damage. At the WTA event in Iasi, the Spaniard spoke openly about the road that took her to No. 2 in the world and then dragged her through years of pain, doubt, and interrupted comebacks.
Tennis made her stronger, she said. It also left scars deep enough that she would never choose the same life for a future daughter.
The timing gave the admission extra weight. Badosa had just lifted the WTA 125 trophy in Bastad, her 1st title since Washington in August 2024. She then carried that form into Romania, brushing aside Anhelina Kalinina before recovering from a 4 to 1 deficit in the final set against Alevtina Ibragimova.
Those wins have brought her closer to the top 100. Her comments showed why the ranking is only part of this comeback.
Badosa Reached the Top and Paid the Price
On paper, Badosa has the career every ambitious junior is told to chase. She won Indian Wells, climbed to world No. 2, and reached her 1st Grand Slam semifinal at the 2025 Australian Open. That run included a straight sets victory over Coco Gauff and surpassed her 2021 French Open quarterfinal as her deepest appearance at a major.
Her warning does not come from someone who never made it. It comes from a player who reached the summit, felt what it demanded, and then watched her body begin to break down.
Asked in Iasi whether she would choose tennis again, Badosa could not give a simple answer. She probably would make the same decision for herself because the journey taught her how to fight. It shaped her into the person she is now.
Everything changed when she imagined making that decision for someone else.
“If I had a daughter, I would not have her play tennis, absolutely not,” Paula Badosa said during her interview in Iasi.
Badosa was not dismissing her career or denying what the sport had given her. She was separating her willingness to carry the damage from her willingness to place that burden on a child.
Injuries Changed Every Calculation
A spinal stress fracture suffered during the 2023 Italian Open marked the start of the most punishing period of Badosa’s career. It forced her out of the French Open and eventually brought her season to an early end. Treatment, rehabilitation, and pain management soon became as important as forehands and serves.
The comeback never followed a clean line. Badosa returned, stopped, and tried again. Even when she competed, the uncertainty remained.
Another major setback followed after Wimbledon in 2025. A problem around her psoas developed into a torn labrum in her right hip. Badosa decided to manage the injury without surgery, leaving her team to balance training, treatment, and tournament demands.
That kind of damage changes how a player approaches every match. Badosa has described waking on competition days unsure whether her body would allow her to perform. She also admitted in Iasi that the injury remains in her mind while she plays.
Some days, she can control the fear. On others, her body makes the decision for her.
Bastad Restored Trust in Her Body
That is why the Bastad title meant far more than its place on the calendar. Badosa competed for 5 consecutive days and defeated Simona Waltert 7 to 5, 7 to 5 in the final. Her body recovered overnight, answered each new test, and carried her through an entire tournament.
The trophy was her 1st since Washington in August 2024. More importantly, it allowed her to feel like a dependable competitor again.
Badosa built her rise to No. 2 on consistency. Injuries stripped that quality away. She could no longer trust that a strong performance on Tuesday would be followed by another match on Wednesday.
Bastad changed that rhythm.
Her opening match in Iasi offered another encouraging sign. Badosa attacked Kalinina’s vulnerable serve and completed a convincing 6 to 3, 6 to 1 victory. The next round demanded far more.
Ibragimova broke Badosa 3 times during the opening set, but the Spaniard repeatedly answered and took the tiebreak. After losing the 2nd set, Badosa fell 4 to 1 behind in the deciding set.
She then won 5 consecutive games to complete a 7 to 6, 1 to 6, 6 to 4 comeback. It was not flawless tennis. It was something she may have needed more, proof that her mind and body could survive a difficult afternoon together.
Her Warning Is Not a Request for Sympathy
Badosa is not speaking from retirement or looking back from a comfortable distance. She remains inside the weekly grind. Ranking points, recovery sessions, and entry lists still shape her schedule.
Her comments are not a rejection of tennis either. Badosa continues to compete because she still believes there are matches to win and goals to reach. The Bastad trophy and her run in Iasi show that ambition has not disappeared.
Public criticism focused on whether a successful athlete with fame and prize money had the right to describe the sport as brutal. That argument missed what Badosa actually said. She did not compare professional tennis with ordinary work. She explained why she would not knowingly send a child through the same system that left her carrying chronic pain and fear before the age of 30.
Her career now represents both sides of elite sport. Tennis gave Badosa major titles, financial security, and a place among the best players in the world. It also demanded repeated treatment, long absences, and years spent wondering whether her body would survive another match.
Badosa may choose that road again because the struggle belongs to her. Her warning is that she would never choose it for her daughter.
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FAQs
What did Paula Badosa say about her future daughter?
Badosa said she would not want a daughter to play tennis because she understands the physical and emotional damage the professional game can cause.
What title did Paula Badosa win before playing in Iasi?
She won the 2026 WTA 125 event in Bastad, defeating Simona Waltert 7-5, 7-5 in the final.
What is Paula Badosa’s best Grand Slam result?
Badosa reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the 2025 Australian Open after beating Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals.
What injuries have affected Paula Badosa’s career?
A spinal stress fracture disrupted her 2023 season. She later suffered a psoas problem and a torn labrum in her right hip.
How did Paula Badosa beat Alevtina Ibragimova in Iasi?
Badosa recovered from 4-1 down in the deciding set and won five straight games to complete a 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 victory.
