As the fans cheer, cry, and travel halfway across the world, they sometimes become part of a player’s story. Just ask Coco Gauff. After one of her matches in the Berlin Open last year, a fan named Maurice broke down in tears while meeting her. Turned out that he ran a fan page for her on Instagram. Gauff, visibly moved, responded sweetly, “Oh, don’t start crying, okay… Oh, you are so sweet.” Then there’s Nick Kyrgios. During the 2022 Cincinnati Open, he took coaching tips from a fan in the crowd, who actually told him how to serve better. Kyrgios, being Kyrgios, listened, and it worked! Now, Paula Badosa is revealing her craziest fan experience!
Badosa reached her first-ever Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open earlier this year, showing she’s still got it. But it all went downhill after that. She had to retire midway through her quarterfinal in Merida against Daria Saville. Then, she skipped Indian Wells entirely. After a promising third-round win over Clara Tauson in Miami, she pulled out again before her next match.
It’s been frustrating for the Spaniard, no doubt. But her fans? Still right there with her. Badosa recently did a Q&A on Instagram where someone asked her about the craziest fan she’s met. Her answer was short and cool: “A tattoo. Love my fans.” That’s right, someone actually inked their love for Badosa permanently.
In return, Badosa is also very considerate of her fans. After her second-round win in Merida against Jaqueline Cristian, she stressed how much she values them. In her on-court interview, she said, “Yeah, I think I played really well today. I think the atmosphere today was amazing, I was feeling well. I felt I wanted to go for it no matter what. I wanted to go a little bit fast today because it’s late so I think I achieved that. I know there’s people in Spain watching so I want to make them to go to sleep early today.”
That match was scheduled for 8:30 PM local time in Mexico. Since Mexico is seven hours behind Spain, her fans back home were tuning in at 3:30 AM. Paula knew that. She knew they were staying up just for her—and she didn’t want them to wait too long.
Unfortunately, Badosa’s injury issue flared up in that tournament. But she hasn’t given up. The 27-year-old has even revealed the date of her comeback and it turns out the fans won’t have to too long.
If there’s one thing Paula Badosa knows, it’s how to make a strong comeback. She previously struggled with a stress fracture in 2023. The doctors had even recommended her to consider retirement. But the Spaniard made a glorious return in 2024. She made deep runs in Cincinnati and the US Open and even picked up a title win at the Washington Open.
Badosa started her journey out of the top 100 in 2024 and has since clawed her way back to World No.11. In a recent interview with El Larguero, she explained her current situation. “I’m doing well. I’m trying to take things positively, put things in perspective, and I’m doing fine. Physically? Well, I’ve had every test possible,” she said.
Badosa compared her new injury to her stress fracture from last year and said,“This time I was more scared than I should have been because it was on the opposite side. I’ve always had discomfort on the right side, and now it’s on the left. I was worried it was another stress fracture, but fortunately it isn’t.”
“I don’t have to break the news that I’ll be out of action for seven months,” she added. “Yes, it’s a small hernia that has moved from the vertebra, but I’m being treated for the best treatments, and my goal is to be back in Madrid.”
So, her fans won’t have to wait too long to see Badosa in action again. The Spaniard has her eyes set on the WTA 1000 event in Madrid, which kicks off on April 22. Do you think she will come back stronger than ever? Share your thoughts in the comments below!