Paula Badosa engaged in a question-and-answer session in which she revealed her favorite men’s and women’s players to watch. She also spoke about a retired player she’d have liked to have faced.
This year’s Australian Open semifinalist revealed that she loves watching Ons Jabeur and Carlos Alcaraz and would have liked to play against Maria Sharapova.
Badosa, the WTA’s World number 11, has had an injury-prone start to 2025. Despite being overwhelmed by World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-2 in the Melbourne semifinal, she’d had a strong tournament, sending home the third seed, Coco Gauff, in the previous round. She got to the Meridia Open quarterfinal but was forced to withdraw from Indian Wells with a back injury.
Seeded 10 at last week’s Miami Open, she won two matches but then had to withdraw again with the same injury. Badosa is resting up for the European leg of the Tour and took time out to answer questions on her X (formerly Twitter) account. Asked about her favorite players to watch, excluding boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas, she replied:
“Ons and Carlitos. So much fun to watch.”
Badosa was then asked about a retired player she would have liked to have played against and answered:
“Maria Sharapova”
Paula Badosa X Account (https://x.com/paulabadosa/status/1906287032621502687)
27-year-old Badosa has been on the Tour for 10 years. She’s won 4 WTA titles and reached two Major quarterfinals: the French Open in 2021 and last year’s US Open.
Paula Badosa seeks inspiration from Jabeur, Alcaraz, and Sharapova to get her season back on track
Badosa could benefit from the consistency levels of the three players she identified. Alcaraz has had a slow start to 2025, but as a 4-time Major champion already at age 21, he’s already developed a cult following. Tunisian Jabeur has yet to win a Major but is knocking on the doors, having reached two Wimbledon finals and one US Open final.
Five-time Major winner Maria Sharapova was a crowd favorite who graced the Tour for 19 years. She brought glamor to the court, together with a fearsome intensity. She won her last Major in 2014 but played on until 2019. However, Sharapova and Badosa never faced each other, even during the former’s twilight years.
Following her withdrawal from the Miami Open, Badosa issued a statement on social media, reported by express.co.uk, that she was hoping for a speedy return to competition:
“Hello everyone, as you know I had to withdraw from Miami and the upcoming tournaments. It’s very sad and tough to deal with the pain and especially stopping and coming back every single time. Now it’s time to go through recovery process again. Hopefully I will be back soon.”
Badosa has yet to confirm her next move. She’s not in the draw for the Charleston Open, so Europe will be her next port of call if she can overcome her back injury.