A number of headline stars were missing from French Open‘s entry list that was announced a few days ago. The absentees will have to go through the qualifying rounds in order to make it to the main draw of the Grand Slam. One of the notable names missing from the list was Paula Badosa. She was five places out of her own draw and her dismal form is a big reason behind this.

In the 13 tournaments that Badosa has played this season so far, she has only made it past the second round on two occasions. The 28-year-old is also on a four-match losing streak as of current. This dismal run of results has seen her ranking plummet all the way down to No. 103. As a result, Badosa has only been able to make it to the qualifiers list for the Roland Garros.

Not to mention that there are still injury concerns surrounding Badosa. She had torn her labrum in the right hip last year, resulting in daily pain. Additionally, the stress fracture in her spine has now become a part of her life. Though the Spaniard has been a regular on the tour this season, it is safe to say that she still isn’t fully fit.

Badosa’s most recent setback had come at the Madrid Open where she had suffered a first-round exit at the hands of Julia Grabher. The veteran gave it her all on the court in what was a grueling two-hour and 35-minute clash, however it just wasn’t meant to be her day.

The first set went down to a tiebreaker where Grabher dominated and won 3-7. Badosa fought back valiantly in the second set and clinched it 6-4. But it would all come crashing down for her in the deciding set as she wouldn’t be able to win a single game. Grabher took the set 0-6 to advance into the second round.

This defeat means that Badosa now has a poor win-loss record of 9-12 this season. She hasn’t looked the same ever since the 2025 Australian Open where she had made it to the semifinals, registering her best performance at a Grand Slam. Though she had gotten eliminated by Aryna Sabalenka, the tournament still was a success for her.

Badosa had addressed her “tough” run of results coming into the Madrid Open but had refused to frame them as anything other than progress.

“Emotionally, these have been tough matches. The level is getting better and better, but the matches aren’t going my way. That’s why I have mixed feelings. Although I like to see the positive side, which is that I feel good in terms of injuries,” she had told Marca.

The former World No. 2 feels that being consistently present on the tour despite her injury problems is also a part of the progress. She now aims to get better at managing tense moments and closing out games.

“Having consistent playing time is very positive because it’s something I hadn’t felt before. I’m someone who tries to focus on the positive, and that’s the best thing of all. Now, the next step is to better manage tense moments, know how to close out games, and control my thoughts; that’s what I still need to work on for the next step. I’ve experienced this in the past, and I know how to find a solution, even though it’s difficult now. Every day I’m adding that 1 percent of my best form to it,” she added.

Badosa’s next assignment will likely be the Rome Masters that is set to commence from May 5. She will then be participating in the qualifiers of the French Open and her path to the main draw can turn out to be quite challenging. This is because the qualifiers list of the Grand Slam doesn’t have any shortage of great players.

The French Open qualifier list is stacked with multiple headline stars

Besides Badosa, the likes of former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova, former Grand Slam champions Bianca Andreescu and Sloane Stephens will be participating in the qualifiers. French Open 2021 runner-up, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is also a part of the star-studded list.

Moreover, World No. 96, Veronika Erajvec is the highest-ranked women’s player to have entered the French Open qualifiers. Former World No. 10, Kristina Mladenovic and 2021 US Open junior champion Robin Montgomery are the other notable players present on the list.

Coming to the ATP’s side, Grigor Dimitrov is among the players present on the list. The Bulgarian has an abysmal win-loss record of 2-8 this season and has been far from his best. He will now have to win three qualifier matches in order to make it to the main draw.

Former World No. 17, Bernard Tomic has also decided to enter the qualifiers for the Grand Slam. Another notable player on the list is Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi, who had taken Jannik Sinner to the limit in a 7-6, 1-6, 4-6 defeat at the Madrid Open.

Who do you think will be able to make it to the main draw of the French Open out of these headline players? Let us know your predictions in the comments!