{"id":31337,"date":"2025-03-07T09:45:19","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T09:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=31337"},"modified":"2025-03-07T09:45:19","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T09:45:19","slug":"injury-woes-derail-paula-badosa-as-she-withdraws-from-indian-wells-giving-australian-open-lucky-loser-eva-lys-a-shot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=31337","title":{"rendered":"Injury Woes Derail Paula Badosa as She Withdraws From Indian Wells, Giving Australian Open \u2018Lucky Loser\u2019 Eva Lys a Shot"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI was thinking maybe I should quit because if I\u2019m not in the highest level, I don\u2019t want to play this sport,<\/em>\u201d Paula Badosa said last season, recalling her horrid injury struggles. However, her resurgence in 2024 \u2013 where she won the Washington Open title, played the Cincinati semis, made it to the US Open quarterfinals, and regained her spot in the top 50 in the world rankings \u2013 earned her the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award. Oozing with confidence, Badosa started her 2025 season with high hopes, but dark clouds loom again. What happened, though?<\/p>\n

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It has been a journey full of ups and downs for the Spaniard. After clinching the Indian Wells title in 2021, Paula Badosa became the world number 2 a year later. However, in 2023, she suffered a stress fracture in her L4\/L5 vertebrae. Doctors informed her that she\u2019d be requiring cortisone injections in her back to continue playing. While she overcame all those challenges to bounce back, she has now suffered another injury setback.<\/p>\n

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The 27-year-old Spaniard was forced to withdraw from her R64 match against America\u2019s Caroline Dolehide at the Indian Wells Open due to a lower back injury!\u00a0Just a\u00a0few days ago, she was seen struggling in her QF match against Australia\u2019s Daria Saville at the Merida Open Akron due to a similar lower-back injury. Although she won the first set against the Aussie by 6-1, Badosa had to call the physio when the scoreline was\u00a0at\u00a03-4 in the second set. She played on for one more set before forfeiting the match at 6-1,3-5.<\/p>\n

Following the abrupt ending, she stated, \u201cI had to pull out of the match in Merida because of lower back pain, but I\u2019m already working on getting better. I\u2019ll give it my all to\u00a0get back on\u00a0the court as soon as possible, with more energy than ever.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Badosa tried her best to recover\u00a0in time\u00a0before the BNP Paribas Open. She even shared a picture on her IG account in which she could be seen lying on her front with several wires against her back. It seemed as if she was receiving intramuscular nerve stimulation to speed up the recovery process. The Spaniard captioned that post writing, \u201cStep by Step<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

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However, despite\u00a0putting in those efforts\u00a0to get back to her full fitness levels before the tournament, Badosa had to give up on her participation in the BNP Paribas. She recently shared an update with her fans, saying, \u201cI\u2019m very sorry to withdraw from one of my favorite tournaments.\u00a0I tried until the last moment\u00a0to play.\u00a0I am\u00a0really\u00a0sad & hopefully will be back next year!<\/em>\u201d With Badosa\u2019s recent withdrawal, German tennis player Eva Lys is now all set to take her spot in the draw.<\/p>\n

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Novak Djokovic Joins Paula Badosa and ATP Legend in Extending Support to Tennis Pro Who Suffered From \u2018Suicidal Thoughts\u2019<\/h3>\n
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