Paula Badosa makes brutally honest admission about her battle with depression & mental health problems

Paula Badosa has been quite open about her mental health struggles in the past, talking about them prominently on more than one occasion. The first time was in 2019 ahead of the US Open, while the other was during the Spaniard's appearance in Netflix's Break Point (2023). Owing to the amount of expectations they deal with, professional athletes are required to have a certain threshold of mental fortitude to deal with the pressure.

However, much like everyone else, athletes go through their own share of mental struggles amid their demanding schedules. In tennis, Paula Badosa has been one of the players to frequently shed light on mental health.

In the latest episode of the Tennis Insider Podcast hosted by fellow player Caroline Garcia, the World No. 10 discussed her love for the sport while highlighting the pressures it brought along with it.

"Of course not. In my case, I always say that I love this sport, but there is always one moment in your life when it becomes a job. It becomes pressure, responsibility, and so many expectations that it's very tough to handle," Badosa said (at 3:24)

Paula Badosa was a very talented junior who was perceived as a top talent, with some people even comparing the Spaniard to Maria Sharapova. And while Badosa did become a fantastic tennis player eventually, it wasn't the fast rise that many thought it would be, mostly because she found it a bit overwhelming.

Explaining further, Badosa mentioned that dealing with the pressure on tour required one to mature and mentally adapt relatively quickly.

"As I always say, your brain is not prepared to handle all these kinds of things when you're 18, 19, not even 25. You may be ready for that when you're 40, but for tennis, it's too late. The process of maturity is like super fast, and I think that's why in my case, I'm never ashamed to say it. I went through depression and went through mental health problems," she added.

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Paula Badosa's resurgence following injury struggles

2025 Australian Open - Day 12 - Source: Getty

While Padosa Badosa did break out and become a really good player, peaking at World No. 2 in the WTA rankings in 2022, she also dealt with a back injury starting first in 2023.

The injury was so severe at one point that the 27-year-old almost considered stopping altogether in the early goings of 2024. Fortunately, she kept pushing and saw herself return to form in the latter half of the year.

The 2025 season started on an amazing note for Paula Badosa, as she made the Australian Open semifinal, beating Marta Kostyuk, Olga Danilovic, and Coco Gauff along the way. Having overcome her mental health struggles, the Spaniard subsequently recorded her best finish at a Major.