Paula Badosa announced that she will not play Roland Garros due to a back injurya stress fracture of the L4 vertebra he suffered at the tournament in Rome and will be out of competition for eight to twelve weeks.
The Catalan, now ranked 29th in the world, has been able to approach a high level with important victories against some of the best players in the world. Illness cut short his progress and kept him away from one of his great goals of the season, the Grand Slam in Paris.
Badosa, another loss of Spanish tennis with the likes of Rafa Nadal, Garbiñe Muguruza or Pablo Carreñoamong others, explains his situation in an interview with Agencia EFE.
– Question: First of all, how are you?
Answer: “Obviously I’m upset, because I didn’t expect this news. I played in the second round of the tournament in Rome, I felt a lot of pain but I’m a person who physically endures pain. I played three games and I’m still in pain also. , I remember that I was playing five or six hours of treatment between matches and the pain did not go down. We thought it was something muscular and seeing that the pain was increasing and did not subside we did a few tests and I was a bit shocked”.
– Q: How did you find out the extent of the injury and find out that you will not be at Roland Garros?
“It’s very difficult, because Roland Garros is there and my aspirations are there. I have a good line and I’m motivated to play in Paris because of everything, because it’s a tournament I like, where I’ve always dreamed. of playing and doing a good job. role and I was motivated. When they gave me the news it was a total shock. Mentally it was very hard, but knowing me I am quite stubborn and I know that I will do my best to return as soon as possible”
– Q: What does this break mean for you as you feel that you are on your way to regain your good level of play and you are at the level of the best again?
“The moment is pretty bad, it couldn’t be worse. But I’m stubborn, like I say, and I’ll do what’s in my power, whatever it takes. It’s always hard to come out of injuries , everyone has a process and it’s hard to get a good moment. It’s not easy. I’m trying to find my game. It’s a fucked up moment, really.”
– P: Damage is always difficult to assume. You’ve had some bad times. Does experience help to better manage these situations? How did you assimilate it in relation to the previous ones when you were young?
“In fact, experience teaches you to assume these moments. Maturity helps you understand situations like this and tells you that you have to get up and look for the positive and not the negative side. What can I do do to find the best version of myself The years help me see it that way.”
– P: And what is the positive side of the injury? Where is the positive side?
“Well, to see that I will have more time for myself, to reconsider, think and motivate myself to return with more enthusiasm and, for example, to know that when others more players will have more breakdowns, I will. be fresher. It’s about finding the positive side”.
– P: With this type of injury the predictions range from eight to twelve weeks. Almost three months. It’s not just Roland Garros, it also reaches Wimbledon.
“That is why I want to start my recovery as soon as possible. Knowing me, it will not be easy to assume this and I have the idea to see if I can get to Wimbledon in time, although it will be difficult. because on deadlines”
– P: Today, a new phase has begun, with a new team. That also helped him gain momentum in these aspects. Off the court as well as on the court?
“That’s why I made the change. I’m more stable on and off the track and that’s why I perform better. I’m a person who needs to be stable outside of the competition in order to have a higher performance later on. I also noticed this in my riding style. I’m playing, on the court. I’m more aggressive. With my new team, I made a change for the better, that’s what it’s about.”
– Q: What prospects do you have for this Roland Garros? Have you started to have good results, with quarterfinals in tournaments like Charleston, Rome, Stuttgart and the round of 16 in Madrid, in the clay event? I think it was a specially marked appointment on his calendar.
“Roland Garros is always an event that I set myself every season. It is a very special tournament, where I have the most set goals. It is a dream to succeed there and this is the main goal . For this reason, it has become a stick. It is a very special moment. It comes at a bad time when I have set my goals”
– Q: What does recovery consist of? Do you have a set return date? It’s a delicate injury, the back.
“It’s very delicate. There are some weeks in which I can’t do absolutely anything. Rest to try to recover. I can’t do anything. It’s the first thing I asked because I want to start my recovery soon. Even if this are small things, but anything can affect. In any case, I will do everything even if I have to undergo six or seven hours of treatment.”
– P: This is not the first injury you have suffered in your career. At other times, what did you spend your time without? How do you spend so many moments standing?
“These are the moments that I try to take advantage of to meditate and think that I like it very much. Also reading… I love the sea and I also like to go there and spend time there. in personal things more than everyone.”
– Q: You are a reference in tennis, already established in the circuit. What was the impact of Rafael Nadal’s announcement not to play for the rest of the year and see that the next could be the last for you and what has the world of tennis seen?
“Honestly, I didn’t expect it. I didn’t really smell it. I was waiting to see what would happen and when I would be able to return. It has always been my idol and it has been a tremendous shock. It makes me very sad, because I want be like him. Since I was eight years old, I noticed him and wanted to be like him. It’s sad to see how an inspiration ends for you, a model.”
– Q: Do you think of playing the mixed doubles tournament with Nadal at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
“I hope, it’s true. It’s like a dream come true. I hope it happens, there’s nothing better than that”
– Q: Roland Garros almost always speaks Spanish. Now, Nadal won’t play, or you, or Garbiñe Muguruza, or Pablo Carreño….
“It is difficult to see him with so many absences of the Spaniards but we hope that the Navy will be at a good level. And in any case we have Carlitos there, the number one in the world where I will be happy. the start. His favorite, in I think he can win and I hope he does his best”.
Source: La Verdad
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