Cristina Bucsa stands as Spain’s highest-ranked tennis player at world No. 30, a career-best ranking she achieved through steady progression and resilience. The 28-year-old from Chisinau recently returned to action at the Mutua Madrid Open after recovering from hip and shoulder injuries sustained weeks earlier.
Her comeback included singles competition where she faced Turkish player Zeynep Sönmez in the second round, ultimately losing in three sets. In doubles, Bucsa partnered with American Nicole Melichar but fell to Indonesian pair Tjen and Sutjiadi in the round of 16 with scores of 6-4, 6-2.
Looking ahead, Bucsa’s schedule includes tournaments in Rome and Strasbourg as preparation for the French Open.
The time away from competition due to injury provided unexpected benefits for Bucsa, who acknowledged the break allowed her to reconnect with family. “That time off came at a good moment because since Brisbane in January we hadn’t stopped being away from home, so I had played many tournaments in a row,” she explained. “After winning Mérida, Miami and Indian Wells were tough because I was already tired. I handled the recovery very well and I was very happy to finally be with my mother, to enjoy her company and likewise my cat.”
When asked about patience during recovery, Bucsa emphasized her disciplined approach: “Yes, yes, yes. I don’t like to compete or train if I don’t know I’m at 100 percent, that everything is well healed and well regenerated.”
The Spanish athlete recently claimed her first singles title at the Mérida tournament, a milestone she views as validation of her ongoing development. “I’m very happy to have achieved my first singles title. Every ‘training session’, every match I play is bearing fruit, and that’s the beauty of tennis—you always have a tournament to improve,” she stated.
Bucsa describes her technical evolution as subtle rather than dramatic: “Nothing, they are minor details, but when I have a period of two or three weeks off, something clicks in my head when I step onto the practice court, then I have a little change, some small things, but it’s imperceptible to me.”
Her steady rise in the rankings reflects years of incremental improvement: “All matches have been tough since I started, since I was very young. I have been improving things little by little, we saw what we needed to do better, what worked for us and what didn’t, and based on that we set goals. We find the results.”
Bucsa’s coaching dynamic is unique—her father, a former biathlete specializing in shooting and skiing, guides her tennis career despite having no prior tennis experience when she began. “No, but he started studying when I was a baby, and he continues studying a lot, he doesn’t stop, hyperactive. Biathlon is a very tough sport and that discipline marks me a lot, especially the mental aspect of fighting for every ball. My father is the one who knows me best. He is the coach on the court and then dad outside, and we separate that very well.”
Her introduction to tennis came through childhood experimentation: “That was because my parents place several objects on the floor: some skis, a tennis ball, my mother had a small piano that I played when I was little, and I always chose the tennis ball. That’s how it all started.”
Academically, Bucsa pursued psychology initially but paused her studies to focus on tennis: “I studied the first year and then I left it because I couldn’t balance it with tennis. Also, the two weeks of exams coincided with the Australian Open and Roland Garros, but when I finish with tennis I will take it up again. I liked it.”
Her interest in Asian culture extends to language study: “Asia in general, I love it, they are very kind people, a love, and then I like the food, the way of living that fascinates me. I was learning Korean and I remember something, also some Japanese with my doubles partners, I talk with them.” When questioned about conversational ability, she clarified: “So much, so much, so much as that no, but basic things, yes I can.”
Bucsa also practices karate, holding a blue belt while working toward black: “I have pending to finish, to gain the black belt, that I stayed at the blue belt. All that I will resume when I finish with tennis.” She draws parallels between the disciplines: “In attention and concentration. Then also the discipline that must be had and the gaze.”
Though generally composed, Bucsa admits to past racket frustration: “Yes, to see… Yes. When I was small, yes, now no, now I know it is my weapon.”
Currently without a sponsorship deal, Bucsa has taken an entrepreneurial approach to her athletic apparel: “Last year I was with Country Club by Dasha, but now I am back to having none. I sponsor myself, I have my own clothing, it is my brand. I started in this 2026, at the Australian Open I already wore it, and now in Madrid I have new sets for Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The design is mine, my mother buys the fabric and they sew it at ‘Diseño a Puntadas’, in Torrelavega. Yes, there have been people who have contacted me, but I haven’t liked the proposals. See if someone dares to bet on my career.”
Regarding social media, Bucsa maintains her distance despite occasional suggestions: “Yes, there have been people who have told me to get Instagram, but I train a lot and at home when I am, or the free time I have, I want to dedicate it to myself and be there publishing, editing and those things that take me a lot of time. Even writing the WhatsApps that people send me takes me long because I reckon about it well.”
Equipment adjustments have been part of her journey: “That was before because I had elbow problems and we were looking for a racket that would be less stiff. The Yonex I have now is the one that suits me best.”
Reflecting on her Wimbledon debut, Bucsa recalled an improvised solution for footwear: “I had to buy shoes. I bought some at Decathlon that were for golf and they were not good, so a friend gave me the contact of a place where we could go and buy them. They gave me two sizes bigger and I won the first match.”
On surface preferences, she affirmed grass as her favorite: “Yes, you have to play low, then you can also do serve and volley as I like, the drop shots, ‘slice’… I play that way more varied, as I like.”
As Bucsa prepares for her upcoming clay-court events in Rome and Strasbourg, her focus remains on incremental progress and personal well-being. Her next competitive appearance will be at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, where she aims to build on her recent experiences and continue her ascent in the women’s tennis rankings.
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