Paula Badosa is taking a break after losing her opening match at the Madrid Open (Image: Getty)
Paula Badosa’s woes continued at her home tournament, the Madrid Open, as she suffered a 7-6(3) 4-6 6-0 defeat to Julia Grabher in the first round, extending her losing streak to four matches. The Spaniard’s career has been wrecked by injuries in recent years, but she was able to return to the top 10 despite dealing with a stress fracture in her back.
But Badosa was sidelined by a psoas injury last year and has struggled to find her form so far this season. Her last win came in Charleston a month ago, and the former world No. 2 has now dropped outside of the top 100 and failed to make the main draw cut for the French Open.
A former quarter-finalist in Paris, Badosa will need to go through qualifying if she wants to return to the main draw. But the 28-year-old has now revealed she may not even play the French Open, as she continues to struggle mentally on court.
Following her first-round exit in Madrid, the current world No. 103 told the El Camino de Mario podcast: “I’ve been struggling a lot these past five months. In matches, I’d play better at times and worse at others. In short, I was okay, but the matches just aren’t going my way. It’s something that’s never happened to me so frequently, so many consecutive losses.
“In Madrid, what happened was that I was spending so much energy battling my own mind, I’ve worn myself out so much these past few months, that in the third set, my mind completely shut down. I was totally empty.
“Right after that, I had a conversation with my team; it was quite interesting. I think I need some time to stop, to see what’s going on here. To recharge a bit because I’m someone who loves to come back and fight, but I’m reaching a point where I’m getting exhausted.
“We’ve decided to stop. We don’t know if it will be two, three, or four weeks. It’s only been two days and I’m already asking to train! But I don’t think it’s very healthy for me to do that. So I’m going to take a little break.”
Paula Badosa is on a four-match losing streak (Image: Getty)
That break could run into the French Open. Qualifying begins on May 18, and the main draw gets underway on May 24. “I honestly don’t know if I’m going to go. I’m confessing here, opening up. It depends a lot on whether I’ve regained my strength. I know that if I have that strength, things will eventually work out,” Badosa said.
The Spanish star has been through the wringer with injuries and is now using injections to help with the pain, but says her problems now are no longer physical. She added: “It’s mental.
“Obviously, I suffered quite a bit physically in January or February, but I’ve been feeling very well physically all of last month and this month. I had injections and, so far, so good. The stronger injections are for the hip and back, which is what’s bothering me.”
While Badosa is taking a much-needed break, and may miss the French Open, she’s still not done with tennis. “You never know when I’m going to retire, but I always say I’ll play for another four or five years, for sure,” she said.
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