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Paula Badosa breaking down in tears after retiring from her first-round match at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championship left some tennis fans heartbroken.
After having an injury-plagued 2023 season, Badosa kicked off her 2024 season at the Adelaide International, where she faced a tough defeat in the first round against Bernarda Pera. She then moved on to the Australian Open, where she secured victories against Taylor Townsend and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, before being defeated by Amanda Anisimova in the third round.
Badosa's luck did not improve as she competed at the Hua Hin Championships, where she was forced to retire during her second-round match against Diana Shnaider due to a lower-back injury. This injury also sidelined her from the Abu Dhabi Open.
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Making a comeback at the Qatar Open, Paula Badosa managed to secure a win against Ashlyn Krueger in the first round but was defeated by Leylah Fernandez in the second.
The former World No. 2's struggles continued at the Dubai Tennis Championship, where she lost the first set of her opening match to Lulu Sun (6-4), leading to her breaking down in tears on the sidelines and then confirming her withdrawal due to her ongoing back injury.
Tennis fans were saddened to witness Badosa's emotional breakdown and her withdrawal from the match. They took to social media to express their sympathy.
One fan drew comparisons between the Spaniard's injury to that of Anett Kontaveit, who retired from the sport after the 2023 Wimbledon Championships due to a persistent back injury that had plagued her for some time.
"Yeah this looks like an Anett Kontaveit type of back injury," a fan posted on Reddit.
Another fan stated that it was heartbreaking to see Badosa's "body breaking down" when her matches get "competitive."
"I watched the match and it was painful. Her body is breaking down when it gets competitive. I don't know how she will proceed," the fan posted.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
Paula Badosa last won a title on the WTA Tour at Sydney International 2022
Paula Badosa's last WTA Tour title came at the 2022 Sydney International. The win came on the heels of her impressive title win at the Indian Wells tournament in 2021, where she defeated Victoria Azarenka 7-6(5), 2-6, 7-6(2) in the final.
The Spaniard defeated the likes of Jelena Ostapenko, Ajla Tomljanovic, and Belinda Bencic to advance to the semifinals in Sydney. Badosa then defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-2 with relative ease.
In the final, Badosa defeated Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) in two hours and 22 minutes, claiming her third career WTA singles title out of three finals she has competed in.
