Paula Badosa has shared her comeback plans after pulling out of multiple tournaments with a back injury. The world No. 11 was forced to retire from the Merida Open earlier this month and skipped Indian Wells. She returned in Miami but withdrew ahead of her round-of-16 match.
Badosa has already withdrawn from next week’s Charleston Open and is now set to miss the next few weeks on the tour. It’s not the first time Badosa has been sidelined by a back injury – a year ago, doctors told her it would be “very complicated” to continue her career.
The Spaniard ended her 2023 season early with a stress fracture in her back and struggled to rediscover her best form when she returned at the beginning of last year.
But she turned things around over the summer, lifting the title in Washington before going on deep runs at the Cincinnati Open and US Open.
After falling outside of the world’s top 100 less than a year ago, Badosa has since returned to the top 10 and currently sits at No. 11 in the world. But she has now faced another huge setback after picking up an injury at the Merida Open in Mexico.
Badosa made a short-lived return in Miami last week, winning two matches before she was forced to pull out ahead of the fourth round. The 27-year-old has now given an update on her comeback plans and explained why her latest setback “scared” her.
Comparing her new injury to the stress fracture that jeopardised her career, Badosa told El Larguero: “I’m doing well. I’m trying to take things positively, put things in perspective, and I’m doing fine. Physically? Well, I’ve had every test possible.
“This time I was more scared than I should have been because it was on the opposite side. I’ve always had discomfort on the right side, and now it’s on the left. I was worried it was another stress fracture, but fortunately it isn’t.”
Badosa isn’t expecting to be sidelined for too long, as she hopes to return on home soil at the WTA 1000 in Madrid, which kicks off on April 22.
“I don’t have to break the news that I’ll be out of action for seven months,” she added.
“Yes, it’s a small hernia that has moved from the vertebra, but I’m being treated for the best treatments, and my goal is to be back in Madrid.”
Last year, Badosa was forced to resort to using cortisone injections to control the pain caused by her previous back injury. And the 27-year-old confessed that she had to do the same during the Miami Open.
“I got [injured] in Merida, Mexico. From one blow to the next, I felt a very sharp pain. We treated it with a lot of equipment, and it seemed to be getting better.
“In Miami, it seemed to be doing very well, but when I returned to compete, I made the same gesture, a forehand, again.
“I continued the set with a pain that made me dizzy, taking ibuprofen, I tried a lot of creams, I got an injection before playing the fourth round with [Alexandra] Eala, but even with the injection, the pain didn’t go away.”
Badosa is in luck as her ranking won’t take a big hit from her upcoming injury layoff – she is defending just 61 points before the Madrid Open.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk