Badly affected by his back, Badosa keeps the flame burning: "I'm still trying to have fun on the court".

There's something tragic about Paula Badosa's story. Winner of the Indian Wells Open in 2021, the second half of her career has been very difficult. Number 2 in the world in 2022, the quarter-finalist at Roland-Garros (2021) is now ranked 126th in the world. Plagued by recalcitrant back problems, the 26-year-old refuses to give up. Refusing to give in to the alarmist advice of her doctors, who told her that it would be very complicated to continue her career, Badosa has shown a fighting spirit that commands respect.

Having played a very good match in the first round (victory over Mirra Andreeva, 6-2, 6-3), the Spaniard has reassured herself somewhat. Having qualified for the second round at the Foro Italico, she confided in the press. Despite an undeniable drop in results, the Spanish prodigy is trying to be positive, explaining that she had a good block of training on the sidelines of the Italian tournament: "Lately, I've found myself very slow. I think my body wasn't up to playing. [...] I think it was also mental. It affected my self-confidence. [...] But over the last two weeks, I've worked a lot on my athleticism. My back has responded well. Honestly, I'm still trying to have fun on the court, because I've been through a lot. I'm not going to lie, I'd like to play a lot more, for as long as I can. We'll see if I can play two or three matches in a row, because it's been a long time since that's happened." (comments relayed by Tennis Channel).