The Indian Wells champion talks to EL MUNDO after the most important day of her career.
In the final moment, the one to remember for years, Paula Badosa was on the verge of vanishing. Too many memories, bad times, and countless sessions of psychological therapy that she had carried in her suitcase until the end of Indian Wells, the most important game of his life. All that has been left behind, and he finally managed to get what he has always carried inside to lift the trophy after three hours of madness. The champion of the American tournament, fifth in importance on the world tennis circuit, talks to THE WORLD and recounts the evolution of a career that has been a roller coaster. With great clearings, but also the darkest shadows, which led to a depression and just one step away from putting down the racket.
- How was the night after conquering Indian Wells? The great victory that you have been looking for for so long has arrived.
- Well, ah come on, the truth is that it has been long and I honestly have not slept much, it has been all crazy.
- Crazy how much the trophy weighed too, it was about to slip out of his hands.
- It’s that it really weighed a lot. They had warned me that I was not going to be able to take it, but I wanted my photo and I made the effort even though I was dead tired.
- That trophy also carries a lot of emotional charge. The ghosts of the past appeared when the final looked worse?
- The truth is that I did not think about everything that I have had to live, or lose, but I know that an opportunity had escaped me. It hurt me after three hours of play and I knew I had to draw strength from wherever I was.
- He couldn’t be saying the same thing just three years ago, when he was about to quit tennis because of a depression.
- No, it was on the edge. But I have managed to enjoy the suffering of racing on the track and have regained the self-esteem that I had lost. Luckily or unfortunately I have had to live that, and now the experience has helped me manage everything better.
- How do you hold the pressure in such a new situation?
- We knew it could come. People were expecting a lot from me and the expectations were high to do something great in this tournament. We try to be with the team a lot and disconnect by taking walks and doing activities to abstract ourselves.
- The changes in his training team are constant, but it seems that the perfect storm has arrived with Jorge Garca. What brings you new?
- Jorge has known me for many years and gives me a lot of peace and stability. I am very comfortable and it is the key for a tennis player like me. Apart from the fact that we work very hard on the track, having all of that out for me is crucial.
- Did you need a new chapter to leave behind all the bad things you have overcome?
- Deep down, he had everything inside and all he had to do was get it out. I had to find those people by my side who would help me discover myself and get the best of myself. I needed to believe and regain that faith that you don’t really know why, but you stop having. The most important thing has been the team, and in this way I have regained my confidence and self-esteem to achieve the goals that we have set for ourselves. The truth is that I did not expect to win the tournament.
- She is only 23 years old and has already been through a roller coaster in her career. Do you have the feeling that you are turning the pages of the book too fast?
- We just discussed it with my team after we won. I’m 23, but it seems like I’m talking like a 30-year-old veteran. People began to talk about me from a very young age and it seems that I am older than I really am, but I have many years of career left.
- Does this victory suppose a before and after?
- I take it, in quotes, as a second life in tennis. I have to stay calm because I have learned from all the mistakes I have made and they have helped me to be the strong person that I am now.
- Now what? This has only just begun.
- I’m looking forward to finishing the season well and being able to go to the Maldives on vacation without a phone. This year has been crazy, moving up 80 places in the ranking. I have to stay the same. I have found the right path physically and mentally and I don’t want to change anything. This is how you will get the rewards.
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