Paula Badosa's shocking mid-match retirement at Merida Open sparks concerned reaction from Tennis Insider

Paula Badosa's shocking mid-match retirement at the Merida Open due to a back issue sparked a concerned reaction from popular tennis insider Ben Rothenberg. The Spaniard seemed to be cruising towards yet another routine win in the quarterfinal when her injury began acting up.

Badosa has had a busy February, in which she played in four tournaments. She kicked off her February at the Abu Dhabi Open, where she faced an opening round exit, following which she made a second-round exit at the Qatar Open. The 27-year-old then managed a deep run at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she was defeated by Elena Rybakina.

The Spaniard then entered the Merida Open as the second seed, which gave her a bye into the second round, where she decimated Jaqueline Cristian 6-2, 6-1. She played Daria Saville next and seemed to be continuing her rampant form but started having issues with her back. Despite giving it her best efforts, Badosa decided to retire from the match at 6-1, 3-5.

Tennis insider Ben Rothenberg took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his concern for Paula Badosa's injury. Tennis fans also shared Rothenberg's concern.

"Concerning to have back trouble flare back up for Badosa, after how career threatening it was for her a couple years ago. Hopefully nothing too derailing tonight," he wrote.

The chronic lower back injury had made the World No. 11 think that she would have to retire at one point, however, in a triumphant turn of events, she reached her maiden Grand Slam semifinal this year.

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"I didn't know if I had to retire from this sport" - Paula Badosa after reaching her maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the 2025 Australian Open

Paula Badosa - Source: Getty

Paula Badosa defeated Coco Gauff 7-5, 6-4 at the 2025 Australian Open to reach the first Grand Slam semifinal of her career. During the post-match interview, the Spaniard recalled how she wasn't sure if she could continue playing tennis in 2024 but was relieved to reach the semifinals of the Happy Slam.

"A year ago, I was here with my back [injury] that I didn't know if I had to retire from this sport, and now I'm here, playing the best in the world. I won today, I'm in the semifinals, and I never would think that a year later, I would be here." (1:33 onwards)

Paula Badosa will look to recover to her best before she heads to the 2025 Indian Wells Open, where she is a former champion. She will also be playing in the Eisenhower Cup, a mixed doubles exhibition event, alongside her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas.