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Former World No.2 Paula Badosa will not compete in the 2023 US Open because of a back injury. This means that the Spaniard will miss three of this year's four majors. She competed in Wimbledon, where she retired from her second-round match against Marta Kostyuk.
Badosa's 2023 season is also ending with this withdrawal, and she will not appear on the court for the remainder of it. The 25-year-old was scheduled to face Venus Williams in the first round but now qualifier Greet Minnen has taken her place.
2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu also pulled out of the Major at Flushing Meadows due to a lower back stress fracture. The organizers announced the Canadian's recent developments on Saturday. She missed the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati because of the same injury.
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The 23-year-old was set to face 2018 US Open quarterfinalist Lesia Tsurenko in the first round at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday. However, the Ukrainian will now face qualifier Elsa Jacquemot.
Tennis fans took to Twitter to express their displeasure after receiving these two unexpected and unfortunate news. One user slammed the two stars, saying they should have withdrawn much sooner because they knew they wouldn't be able to play.
"Badosa and Andreescu both would have known they wouldn't be able to play before qualifying started and should have withdrawn then," the user wrote.
Another user stated that Paula Badosa and Bianca Andreescu acted selfishly and that if they had withdrawn earlier, another player might have made it to the main draw.
"Her and bianca both knew for a fact they wouldn’t play … olga would’ve been in MD if they weren’t being selfish," the user tweeted.
Another account posted:
"I think this s*it is unethical."
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
"We have tried everything together, but the pain is not letting me move forward" - Paula Badosa
Paula Badosa took to Instagram to announce her plan to withdraw from the 2023 US Open and end her season. She admitted that the decision was difficult for her to make because she loves competing on a tennis court.
"Hello everyone, I wanted to update you on my situation with the injury… After struggling for many months to compete again, I am ending my season. Those of you who know me know how much I like to compete and how difficult it has been to make this decision," she wrote.
The Spaniard added that she and her team had tried everything to alleviate the pain but had been unsuccessful. She also expressed gratitude to those who stood by her side throughout.
"We have tried everything together with my team but the pain is not letting me move forward. Thanks to the people who are still by my side in these hard times. See you next year, stronger than ever," Paula Badosa wrote.
While fans are disappointed by the unexpected withdrawal, one must understand that both players just couldn't recover in time to feature for the Grand Slam event.
