Paula Badosa reveals what led to her shocking mid-match retirement at Merida Open in emotional message

Paula Badosa provided a concerning update about her injury in an emotional message following her mid-match retirement at the Merida Open. The Spaniard played several tournaments on the trot this year and her chronic back injury seems to be troubling her again.

Just two months into the year, Badosa has already played at seven events. Before entering the WTA 500 event in Mexico, she had played 15 matches in Asia across six different events.

At the Merida Open, she began strongly with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Jacqueline Cristian. In the quarterfinal against Daria Saville, Badosa raced to a 6-1 first-set win but struggled in the second and eventually retired after going down 3-5.

There were concerns surrounding her back injury soon after her retirement. Taking to Instagram, she shared the reason behind her shock withdrawal.

"Hey everyone, Thanks so much for all the messages and support. I had to pull out of the match in Mérida because of lower back pain, but I’m already working on getting better. I’ll give it my all to get back on the court as soon as possible, with more energy than ever. Big hug, Paula," she wrote.

The 27-year-old has opened up about her chronic back injury struggles on several occasions. She even contemplated retirement due to it, but turned her fortunes around and reached the WTA Top 10 again.

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Paula Badosa was close to retirement due to her chronic back injury

Paula Badosa at the Dubai Tennis Championship - Source: Getty

In 2022, Paula Badosa dominated the WTA Tour and reached her career-high World No. 2 rank. However, things took a turn for the worse when she suffered a stress fracture in her back in May 2023 and had to go on an injury hiatus.

She returned in 2024, but her on-court struggles continued due to the chronic nature of the injury as she dropped to World No. 140 in May. Soon after, she picked up pace and won a tournament at the Citi Open in Washington. After some solid performances, she climbed back into the Top 10 after a semifinal run at the 2025 Australian Open.

Speaking with The National at the Abu Dhabi Open in February, Paula Badosa looked back at her injury and said:

"It was really tough. For me, some days I think about it, I just like to go back with my thoughts and moments and thinking about it … it’s tough for me even to think about it because it was very painful... I was close, I was close to retirement."

Badosa's passion for tennis and belief in herself led her back to the court after such a difficult time. Now, she is expected to play at Indian Wells this week but with her latest injury scare, it is best to wait for the Spaniard to provide more updates.