She had been struggling with Miracle Child Syndrome for a long time. Unfulfilled expectations took away all the joy of tennis. She began to hate the sport that was supposed to be her life. She suffered from depression, but eventually found her way out of the darkness. Paula Badosa rose to the top tennis stars after triumphing at the “fifth grand slam” in Indian Wells, California.
She turned the swordball and, after a stunning three-hour final, slumped to the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes. Paula Badosa had just experienced a moment she had been destined for since she was a child, but she had been waiting in vain for many years. She thought she would probably never come.
But despite all the hardships, the lifelong sacrifice of tennis paid off in the end. The Spanish tennis player in Indian Wells confirmed a significant performance jump with her first really big title. The California desert has given birth to a new tennis star.
There was not much missing, and Badosa would be one of many examples of fallen talent.
The native of New York paid in her youth as an unquestionable future superstar. A career opened before her, the glow of which was to be multiplied by its attractive appearance.
It was Badosa’s visage that was the main reason for the popular designation “new Maria Sharapova”. It was simply a form that could not be overlooked. Marketing specialists immediately blew up. The girl, who was born in New York to her parents working in modeling, was a potential gold mine. She combined marketing potential with sportsmanship.
Badosa triumphed at the junior French Open in 2015, and the dream of a sweet life as a tennis professional took on perhaps too real contours.
“Some people told me I would be the new Sharapova, others talked about another Garbini Muguruza. In Spain, everyone expected me to be in the top ten the following year,” she recalled. The young player began to feel that she had to win every match in order to be successful and meet the stellar preconditions.
She quickly created a bloc with an overly ambitious approach. “It was a kind of fear, a feeling that was misinterpreted,” she recalled some time ago.
Each defeat hit her self-confidence hard, and it began to crumble like a house of cards. The love of tennis turned into pure hatred.
“I went through many moments full of anxiety and depression. I admit it. I had no desire to do anything, whether in my personal or professional life. I lost the illusion of tennis, I did not enjoy it at all. I only felt pressure, duty and fear. “she told how her barely embarked career found itself in the balance.
Paula Badosa with the winning trophy in Indian Wells. | Photo: ČTK
Everything was exacerbated by the success of the players, who were her peers in the youth categories. Jelena Ostapenková won Roland Garros, Markéta Vondroušová won the finals in Paris and Darja Kasatkinová reached the top ten in the world.
None of them made the transition between women the slightest problem. They were behind the stars almost immediately. It broke the psyche of the Spaniard even more.
“I saw that I was not doing the results that everyone expected. It was difficult for me, I was very frustrated,” she described the state of her sports hibernation.
The Spaniard was finally helped by the new coach Xavi Budo. He was available to her 24 hours a day, but at first he tried to do only one thing: to make Paula happy especially off the court.
“It was the key to my rebirth,” Badosa said. She was brought back to the highway to success by her own unwavering will. Although she often wanted to drop everything, she always picked up the rackets and arrived on the court for further training.
In August 2019, she finally made it into the top 100 of the women’s WTA ranking. It was a milestone that would kick every player. Suddenly comes relaxation, easier access to major tournaments. Everything will improve financially as well, and the tennis player will immediately have much more peace of mind for further work.
She could not see much progress in the coronavirus season 2020, but with the arrival of the current season she started to shine. Especially on clay. She won her first tournament in Belgrade, reaching the quarterfinals at the French Open. And then she showed that she would be dangerous on all surfaces. She scored the eighth final at Wimbledon, and had good results on summer concrete.
But she had to wait until October for the life tournament, which became the postponed Indian Wells.
Badosa lost only two sets, gradually eliminating Jastrem, Gauff, Krejcikova, Kerber, Jabur and Azarenka in the final.
“I’ve learned that nothing is impossible. When you fight, you work hard, then after all these years you can achieve something,” she said as she kissed the winning trophy. “It’s just as important to dream. You can have hard moments, I’ve had more than enough. But I’ve never stopped dreaming,” the 23-year-old tennis player added.
Her message to young tennis players who foretell a bright future? Never compare yourself to anyone. Everyone has their own pace.
“I just wasn’t ready at seventeen. Some players are ready, but I’m not. I wasn’t ready for the top two hundred, let alone the ten. I had to be brave and I could handle it. I’m really proud of myself now.”
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