Paula Badosa injury update: Spaniard shares glimpse of recovery process ahead of Indian Wells return

Paula Badosa recently gave her fans an update on her back injury that re-emerged a few weeks ago, forcing her to retire midway through her quarterfinal match at the Merida Open. The Spaniard is taking the recovery process "step by step" by her own admission and hopes to be fit for her first appearance in Indian Wells in two years.

In 2023, Badosa had suffered a stress fracture in her L4 vertebrae. The spinal injury ultimately caused her to miss three of the four Major tournaments that year. According to the 27-year-old, her doctors at the time told her in their prognosis that prolonging her career could turn out to be "very complicated".

Paula Badosa wasn't to be deterred by their advice as she made a successful WTA Tour comeback in 2024, re-entering the women's top 20. The Spaniard went one better in January this year, reaching her maiden Major semifinals to make her top 10 return. However, her upswing in results hit a setback recently, as she retired at 6-1, 3-5 down in a tough match against Daria Saville in the 2025 Merida Open quarterfinals due to a lower back injury that she revealed on her Instagram handle later.

The World No. 10's back issue is seemingly on the mend if her Instagram story from Tuesday (March 4) is anything to go by. She posted a picture of her receiving intra-muscular nerve stimulation, which will help her injury recover faster.

"Step by step💪," Paula Badosa wrote in the caption of her Instagram story.

Via Paula Badosa Instagram stories

Provided Badosa is healthy, she will play at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells for the first time since 2023. The former World No. 2 won the 2021 title at the tournament to take home her biggest title to date. She also withdrew her and Stefanos Tsitsipas' entry into this year's Eisenhower Cup — a mixed doubles exhibition tournament preceding the Palm Springs event — in a bid to safeguard her physical conditioning.

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"We tried cortisone, they said this is the only option" - When Paula Badosa made scary admission about back injury

Paula Badosa retired midway through her Wimbledon 1R match in 2023 \ Image Source: Getty

Last April, Paula Badosa gave WTA fans a scary insight into her back injury from that time. The Spaniard claimed that her doctors had put her on cortisone injections to numb pain. Moreover, by her account, they only gave her "a few more years" before she would eventually have to hang up her racket.

"Honestly, I have goosebumps again, because in Indian Wells the doctors told me it’ll be very complicated to continue my career," Badosa told the WTA Insider podcast last year. "And I said, okay, I need a solution – something. So you know, we tried these injections – cortisone. And they said, this is the only option we can give you and maybe you will have to keep doing that if you want to play for a few more years."

Having received a first-round Bye in Indian Wells, Badosa will play her first-round match against the winner between local favorite Caroline Dolehide or Russia's Kamilla Rakhimova.