Paula Badosa has been battling a persistent back injury since 2023, when a stress fracture threatened to derail her career entirely. But she fought her way back, making a breakthrough last year by reaching her first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal. Her strong start to 2025, highlighted by a semifinal run at the Australian Open, marked a return to the Top 10 and a renewed sense of momentum. However, her injury woes have slowly crept back again and fans are clearly running out of patience.

The Spanish star, who’s been battling recurring back injuries for over a year, kicked off her grass season in Berlin with two convincing wins. She breezed past German wildcard Eva Lys 6-1, 6-3 and followed that up with a solid 7-6(2), 6-3 victory over American Emma Navarro. But just when it looked like things were finally turning around, Badosa was forced to retire midway through her quarterfinal match against qualifier Wang Xinyu.

She looked out of sorts right from the start, losing the first set 6-1. A medical timeout earlier in the set saw a doctor come out and administer medication, but it didn’t seem to help. With Wang leading and Badosa staring down triple break point at 0-40 in the first game of the second set, the 2025 Australian Open semifinalist called it quits.

It’s yet another abrupt end to a match for the former world No. 2, who had only just returned to action during the French Open after missing most of the clay swing due to injury.

Fans react to Paula Badosa’s mid-match exit

Paula Badosa’s latest retirement didn’t sit well with tennis fans, many of whom took to X to voice their frustrations.

One fan doubted the retirement and wrote, “Kinda weird. Feels unwell but well enough to smash her racket?”

Badosa, frustrated with her retirement, smashed her racket several times after shaking hands with Xinyu. Badosa had opened up to Eurosport and shared how the uncertainty of whether she will be able to play always keeps her anxious. “Every day I wake up feeling scared. I’m not kidding, this week I had to text Pol Toledo (her coach) at 5:00 a.m. because I couldn’t sleep. I can’t cope with the uncertainty of whether my back will be okay that day or whether I’ll be able to live a normal life. Mentally, that’s what’s been the hardest for me,” the 27-year-old said.

Another fan echoed that statement and wrote, “Energy to smash a racket but can’t even move to return a serve 🤷‍♀️”

A third fan speculated on the injury, writing, “Definitely not her back?”

Badosa’s back injury has been a persistent issue that’s taken a serious toll on her career. The trouble began in 2022, when she was ranked No. 2 in the world and started feeling discomfort in her lower back. Things quickly went downhill from there — by 2023, the injury had worsened to the point where she dropped out of the top 100. After her comeback, it flared up again while competing in the quarterfinals of the Merida Open. Afterward, a string of withdrawals and retirements followed. The Spaniard skipped Indian Wells but returned for the Miami Open, where she reached the fourth round but had to withdraw mid-match due to injury. The 27-year-old was also forced to sit on the sidelines of her home tournament, the Madrid Open, and even missed the Italian Open.

However, one fan was not buying it. They wrote, “Typical Paula really, plays badly, finds an excuse and then retires.”

The only other time Paula Badosa retired in 2025 was at the Merida Open. She was in the quarterfinals against Daria Saville and looked in full control after taking the first set 6-1. But then things turned around fast. Saville stepped up and grabbed a 5-3 lead in the second set. That’s when Badosa decided to call it quits and walked away from the match.

Another fan pointed at the score and wrote, “6-1.0-40 🤣🤣🤣”

With Wimbledon set to begin in just over a week, this latest withdrawal could be another setback for Paula Badosa. She had reached the Round of 16 at the All England Club last year before falling to Donna Vekic. Do you think she can get back in form again? Let us know in the comments below.