"I don't want to play" - Paula Badosa opens up about the time she thought of retiring from tennis; reveals lowest point of her injury comeback

Paula Badosa recently opened up about how she was contemplating retirement earlier in the season. The Spaniard said that results weren't going the way she had expected.

Badosa revealed during a press interaction at the 2024 US Open that during the middle of the current season, she was at a very low point as she was struggling with back problems and results were not going her way.

“Yeah, I mean, the low point for me was at the middle of the season. It was really bad. At the beginning of the season I was okay, but after all seeing that I was struggling also with my back, it wasn't responding well. My results weren't what I was expecting in that moment. So it was really bad," Badosa said.

The Spaniard stated that after her first-round exit at the Madrid Open, she was thinking about quitting the sport because she did not want to continue playing tennis if she wasn't one of the best players in the world.

"There was moments, especially after Madrid, that I didn't know what to do. In my mind I was thinking, like, maybe I should quit because if I'm not in the highest level, I don't want to play this sport. I don't want to be in the ranking I was in that moment. So if I'm not on the top or in the best players in the world, I don't want to play this sport," she said.

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Paula Badosa on rediscovering her form after sub-par clay court season: "My work paid off"

Paula Badosa won the 2024 Citi Open (Image: Getty)

Paula Badosa has since put the thought of retirement behind her and has been getting consistent results for a couple of months. Recently, she won the title at the Citi Open and reached the semifinal at the Cincinnati Open. At the 2024 US Open, she has reached the fourth round, with wins over Viktorija Golubic, Taylor Townsend, and Elena-Gabriela Ruse.

In the aforementioned press conference, the Spaniard also talked about how she rediscovered her form after the clay season. She added that during the US swing, she could prove that her level was still there.

"It came all after I think the clay court season, before the grass. I started to feel better. You know, you slowly win matches. You start to believe in yourself. The most important, that my back was responding really well. After that I think I lost very close matches there, but the level was there. Well, finally here in the U.S. swing I could prove it. I think all my work paid off,” she said.

Now Paula Badosa will take on Wang Yafan for a place in her maiden quarterfinal at the US Open.