Concerning scenes as Paula Badosa looks on the verge of tears at Miami Open with injury struggles resurfacing

Paula Badosa was on the verge of tears during her Round of 32 match against Clara Tauson at the ongoing Miami Open as she was seen struggling with her back injury. She had to take a long hiatus from the sport in May 2023 after Wimbledon due to a possibly career-straining stress fracture on her back but made a strong comeback after recovering in 2024.

Even though she has displayed promising performances since her return, the star has shown signs of the pain continuing even during the ongoing season. Recently, the Spaniard had to retire from the Merida Open owing to the same lower back pain from her match against Daria Saville which prevented her from continuing.

"I had to pull out of the match in Mérida because of lower back pain, but I’m already working on getting better. I’ll give it my all to get back on the court as soon as possible, with more energy than ever," she had posted on Instagram assuring her fans.

A glimpse of the same was seen in her match against Tauson as well, as the 27-year-old lay down on the court due to being unable to endure the pain. The Tennis Letter shared a glimpse of this incident on X:

However, she made a strong comeback and won the match against the Dane, 6-3, 7-6(3) which helped her advance to the Round of 16 of the tournament. Paula Badosa had earlier spoken about the uncertainty of her tennis career owing to her persisting injury.

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"Being able to play three or four more years would be amazing": Paula Badosa

Paula Badosa at the 2024 French Open- Source: Getty

Paula Badosa expressed her grief in an episode of the WTA's Insider Podcast released on April 21, 2024, where she talked about how difficult the injury was for her and how it affected her mentally. Badosa said she would be extremely grateful to even continue playing for a few more years as her injury was not quite curable while also addressing her struggles in using medications to get rid of the pain.

"For me, being able to play three or four more years would be amazing... So far, the injections are working. The pain is always there, but there were times I couldn't even handle it," she said.

She will however look to work with her team to recover from the injury and make a strong appearance on the court tomorrow, in the hope of clinching the Miami Open title.