The last thing you want to have amid a running season, being an athlete, is sitting back at home because of an injury. And sometimes you can’t explain what’s happening to your body while trying to hope for a turnaround. Perhaps one can feel those sentiments for Brazil’s 29-year-old WTA star and a former US Open quarterfinalist, Beatriz Haddad Maia. Fans won’t witness her swinging the tennis racket on the court this season anymore. For Maia, 2025 ended abruptly and way too soon. The worst part? It’s not by choice.

Her US Open run last month revealed some worrisome signs, which don’t stick around well for the tournaments left this year. On September 22, Maia took to her Instagram and shared a heartfelt message for her fans while announcing an end to her 2025 journey on the court. “I am posting this to share with you that I am wrapping up my 2025 season a little ahead of schedule so that I can rest my body and mind for a longer period.”

As one can observe, she didn’t disclose any injury bothering her. However, the 29-year-old emphasized that she needs to give herself mental and physical recovery space. Despite cutting short the calendar so soon, Maia promised to return in the best way possible. “I will come back stronger, and the best is yet to come!”

But fans already saw a glimpse of Maia’s struggles last month in New York. Remember her first-round match against Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal? In the third set, an inexplicable ailment caused her to walk gingerly. She wasn’t fully able to focus on the match itself. In fact, she couldn’t even serve properly while keeping her knees upright and not even slightly bent. She also went for an underarm serve motion to avoid exerting too much pressure on her legs. Nonetheless, she won the game in pain, but surely, something felt off.

Similarly, the 40th-ranked player remains the best tennis player from Brazil, and she’s enjoyed a solid fan following. Becoming the first Brazilian women’s tennis player to enter the Top 10 rankings, the sky was the limit. A semi-final at the 2023 French Open saw her surprise the tennis fraternity, but she couldn’t keep the momentum going up.

Now, with her latest update, it becomes clear that Maia is not feeling positive regarding her health. While the exact cause remains unknown, she has decided not to push herself too much on the court. But with her

Paula Badosa joins in to show a sense of support to Beatriz Haddad Maia

No one else can understand Beatriz Haddad Maia’s pain than Spain’s WTA star player Paula Badosa after an injury setback marred her 2025 season. Before the US Open last month, the former Australian Open semifinalist had announced her withdrawal, saying, “This decision was incredibly difficult to make. After the amazing run I had in New York last year and the deep connection I feel with the city and its fans, stepping away from this tournament is very emotional for me.” She wanted more time to recover from her lower back injury, which has annoyed her since Wimbledon in July. Badosa tried to console Maia and dropped a brief message for her Brazilian counterpart. “❤️🙏 Eres grande,” she simply wrote.

Another WTA icon and 2022 Wimbledon finalist, Ons Jabeur, tried to motivate Maia while writing, “Chica take care of yourself ❤️ we love you 😍.” Once a three-time Grand Slam finalist, Jabeur’s career saw a downward decline like never before in tennis. Injuries caught the better of her career, and she took a break from her tennis career in July. She stated, “For the past two years, I’ve been pushing myself so hard, fighting through injuries and facing many other challenges. But deep down, I haven’t truly felt happy on the court for some time now.”

The support kept coming. Another tennis player from the Netherlands, Demi Schuurs, wished for Maia’s speedy recovery. She wrote, “Take care 😘.” Likewise, she received support from her own tennis mate from Brazil, Carolina Alves, who posted a comment, “Sempre juntas 🫂 ❤️.” 

Messages of support kept coming for Maia as Brazilian mega club Sao Paulo showed her support and posted a comment from their official social media handle, “❤️.” Avid fans of the Brazilian WTA pro will also hope for her to return stronger. Hopefully, Maia could make her much-awaited comeback and return to being the best.