Back in 2022, Paula Badosa was just a few points away from becoming World No. 1. Life was good. She was climbing fast, hitting hard, and looked unstoppable. But then came 2023, and with it came pain. That’s when her back began acting up for the first time, setting off a string of injury woes that would threaten everything she had worked for. But Badosa had other plans. She pulled off what felt like a miracle, returning in 2024 after falling outside the Top 100. She clawed her way back to finish the year ranked World No. 12. That comeback earned her the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award. However, just when it seemed the Spaniard had made her way back, injuries caught up with her again. Now, she’s opening up in a way she has never before.

In 2025, the 27-year-old started with a bang. Badosa reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, announcing her return to the Top 10 with style. Everything was clicking again. But just as fans started hoping for a full comeback arc, her back injury returned, uninvited and unwelcome. The trouble began in February, during her quarterfinal at Merida. The timing was brutal, it meant skipping Indian Wells, one of the biggest events of the year. She tried to push through at the Miami Open and even won two matches. But ahead of her fourth-round match against Alexandra Eala, she had to pull out because of a back injury.

From there, things didn’t improve. Her back issue crept into the clay season too, and that meant missing the Mutua Madrid Open. That one stung more than the others. It’s her home tournament, and sitting out in front of her fans? That hurt on a different level.

Speaking to Eurosport in Madrid, Badosa didn’t sugarcoat the reality she’s facing. “Forever, it’s a chronic injury,” she said. “The thing is that this time is different, I still have the pain on my right side under control, but now it comes suddenly and touches my nerve. It’s like a hernia that has moved, I could play with this, the problem is that it’s touching my nerve. With this I can’t even lead a normal life.”

The pain isn’t just physical. Every morning starts with fear. “Every day I wake up afraid. I’m not joking you, this week I had to send messages to Pol (Toledo) at 05:00 in the morning because I couldn’t sleep, I can’t with the question of whether my back will be fine that day or if I will be able to lead a normal life. Mentally, it is what is costing me the most,” she confessed.

And she knows how this story might end. The Spaniard continued, “That’s for sure, I’ve accepted it. Having such a strong character has helped me accept this over time, I know that I am going to retire young and the next day I will go straight to the operating room. I know this from the race I’m in and from the problems I have with my back.”

Her team has stood by her side through all of this.

Paula Badosa’ coach opens up on the Spaniard’s grit

Paula Badosa team has stood by her side through all of this. But it wasn’t always this group. Back in August 2021, she ended her coaching relationship with Javier Martí. That was the day after a tough loss to Rebecca Marino at the Canadian Open. She then teamed up with Jorge García, who led her to her Indian Wells win and helped her reach a career-high of No. 2 in April 2022.

But by early 2023, just ahead of Indian Wells, that partnership ended too. Things were already looking grim. Doctors warned her that continuing without cortisol injections would be “very complicated.” And by then, she had slipped out of the Top 65 in the rankings. That’s when she decided it was time to shake things up. Just before the Stuttgart Open, Badosa revealed a brand-new team. Edu Esteve and Pol Toledo joined as her coaches. Jordi Verdaguer became her fitness trainer, and Juan Carlos Vargas took over as her physio. It took a while, but the pieces started falling into place.

The bond between Badosa and her team only grew stronger. Speaking to Eurosport on April 27 in Madrid, Pol Toledo reflected, “How brave and strong she is, above all strong. Last year we were really messed up, it was hard to keep going, but she did. To this day, I would never give her up for dead; she gives her life for this sport, she’s all-out. That’s what surprised me most, her passion for this sport; tennis is everything to her. Winning makes her so happy that all she thinks about is getting better so she can have that feeling again.”

Now, as Rome approaches, Paula Badosa is hoping to be fit enough to return to competition. If she does, she’ll look to improve on her fourth-round finish there from last year. She’s been through it all. But she’s still fighting. Still dreaming. Could Rome be her next big moment?