Home

Tennis

‘I’m Not Rafa Nadal’ – Paula Badosa Vents Out Frustration Over How People Got ‘Spoiled’ in Spain With Unjust Comparisons

Published 07/06/2022, 11:12 AM EDT

Follow Us

Spain has given the world some of the best tennis players on the face of the earth. The legend and King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, is one of them. Spain continues to provide reigning and top-tier champions like Carlos Alcaraz Garfia and Paula Badosa.

However, every player, even if he or she avoids it, gets compared to Rafael Nadal. World no. 4 Paula Badosa talked about the consequences and pressure that the comparison brings to her.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Paula Badosa opens up about problems with Rafael Nadal

Paula Badosa talked about the undeterred comparison of her with Rafael Nadal affects her mindset and pressurizes her. Simona Halep defeated the Spanish player in the fourth round of Wimbledon. Further on this situation, she said, “There is a lot of demand from the people. You are in the second week and now they wonder why you don’t win. And if you lose in the first week, they wonder why you don’t make it to the second. I don’t know how to say it… I’m not Rafa Nadal, nor I am going to be.”

(Translated using Google Translate)

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

via Reuters

The comparison of the young players from Rafael Nadal to the people puts them under pressure to live up to the expectation.

This has taken a toll on the young WTA player as well. She has excelled in the tennis realm and is currently ranked world no. 4 on the WTA ranking chart.

Badosa’s hustle, to be on the top

The player admires the Spanish tennis legend and hopes to perform even better in her budding tennis career. However, she also believes that the comparisons are not helpful for the Spanish tennis players.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

USA Today via Reuters

She said, “We have gotten a little spoiled in Spain because of the great players we have had. Hopefully, one day I can do something similar, but I would like it to be a little less demanding.”

(Translated using Google Translate)

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY: Rafael Nadal’s biggest fan, Serena Williams, cheers for his success at Wimbledon Championships 2022

Unfortunately, the player did not have a great run during the grass court season. However, she would gear up well for the hard court season and try to clinch titles there.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Shivali Sharma

1,438Articles

One take at a time

Shivali Sharma is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. She has pursued her Master's in history from Himachal University, but her love for the game has driven her to write about tennis. Shivali is a huge fan of Naomi Osaka and admires Osaka not only for her on-court performances, but also for her off-court actions.
Show More>

Edited by:

Deepakshi Chaudhary