Paula Badosa has reunited with her worst ghosts now that she was beginning to take flight. In the second round in Stuttgart, playing against her friend Sabalenka, the Spaniard was performing at a high level until she suffered a puncture in her left leg in the third set. It does not seem to be a minor ailment. The world number 93 left the court crying, heartbrokenaware that this injury will probably prevent him from being in Madrid and who knows if at Roland Garros.
😢😢😢
Paula Badosa sadly has retired at 3-3 in the third set & is then consoled by good friend Aryna Sabalenka ❤️ pic.twitter.com/27UPC1rNyn
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) April 17, 2024
If weeks ago it was Paula Badosa who had to face her friend on her most difficult day, her first match after the death of her former partner, now it has been the number 2 in the WTA ranking who has given her all her support . The image is overwhelming. The Spanish woman left the track trying to maintain her formbut it was definitively broken at the moment when it was time to say goodbye to Sabalenka.
Sabalenka, aware of what had happened, rushed to hug her, asked her how she was, and then Badosa resigned, greeted the judge and began to cry on her friend’s shoulder.. They were a few seconds of enormous hardness, with the Spanish woman trembling, broken with pain, and her current opponent recognizing her effort.
After, Badosa came to his bench limping, with a bandage and went to the locker room crying while receiving a standing ovation from the Stuttgart public.. His physical condition did not even allow him to carry his racket bag, which his bench took care of.
In the absence of evidence, Badosa’s tears reveal the never-ending story. The player herself already recognized weeks ago that her true success was being able to competeafter months in which she was lying on a sofa without knowing if she could really give her best on a tennis court again.
Defeats were just part of the process, a path that was impossible to avoid and that little by little would lead her to be that great tennis player who won Indian Wells and became the second best on the planet. Against Sabalenka, a great rival, he had rhythms that could well be remembered at his best level.
He lost a competitive first set in the tie break and managed to take the second 6-4. In the third round, Badosa was completely dedicated to the cause and at a high level after proving capable of winning the match. And she confirmed it by pressing the Belarusian’s first serve, winning her serve without problem and breaking in the third game.. Afterwards, already injured, she could not do anything to save herself and gave up until the tie was 3-3, at which point she retired.
Paula’s tears go hand in hand with a path full of stones that are not allowing her to enjoy the sport that has given her so much.. On the horizon comes Madrid, a tournament in which she is always received as a true star and where people show her all their affection. And Roland Garros, her Grand Slam par excellence, where she achieved her best result with a quarterfinal in 2021. Only time will tell if she will be able to play. Until then, we can only hope that it is as little as possible.
Paula Badosa Gibert
Aryna Sabalenka
2024-04-17 23:37:40
#heartbreaking #image #Badosa #Sabalenka #fall #hell #Relief
