"Paula Badosa wants it but her body can't hold up";"Anett Kontaveit now her & Garbine Muguruza just retired" - Fans rue Spaniard's back injury setback

Paula Badosa's 2024 return has hit another major setback. According to the Spaniard, doctors recently warned her about the consequences of continuing her tennis career. This news has left the tennis community in tatters, going by their reactions on Monday (April 22).

Badosa was out of action for most of the 2023 WTA Tour season due to a stress fracture in her L4 vertebrae. Not to be deterred by her misfortune, the 26-year-old made her comeback this year and has given a respectable account of herself, accumulating a 6-8 win/loss record.

That said, Paula Badosa had to retire midway through two of her last six matches, the latest of which came in the second round of last week's Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

A few days later, she admitted to the WTA Insider that she has been taking cortisone shots to get through her matches, which puts a damper on her career prospects.

"Honestly, I have goosebumps again, because in Indian Wells the doctors told me it’ll be very complicated to continue my career," Paula Badosa said on the WTA Insider podcast. "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."

The tennis fans on X (formerly Twitter) were subsequently dismayed at the hardships that she has faced. One fan insisted that the former World No. 2 was hard done by the unfortunate back injury.

"I feel sad for Paula. She wants it but her body can't hold up," they wrote.

Another fan, meanwhile, couldn't help but lament Paula Badosa joining the likes of Garbine Muguruza, Karolina Pliskova and Anett Kontaveit as players who have been through the wringer since enjoying a stint at the top of the WTA rankings.

"Anett & now her oh and Muguruza just retired… Plíškovás never been the same since that WTA Finals & that injury in the offseason!" they wrote.

Here are a few more reactions from social media:

"Goodness, sport can be brutal. Just hope she manages to play as long as possible," a fan wrote.

"Not another one who is forced to retire having the heart to play," another fan rued.

"I was worried this may be the case... back injuries are so complicated," a fan wrote.

"Nah, tt curse both Kontaviet and her while they were no.2 and no.3," one fan claimed.

"F**k this so heartbreaking," another fan wrote.

"From world number 2 to struggling like this is so sad," another fan wrote.

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"I'm still 26" - Paula Badosa on being told she might have only 'a few more years' to compete

Paula Badosa serves at the 2024 Charleston Open

During the interaction with WTA Insider, Paula Badosa also expressed her disappointment at possibly not being able to prolong her career. Moreover, she also claimed that playing on hardcourts could worsen her back injury.

"I’m like, a few more years? I’m still 26, so for me that was very tough. And you’ll have to handle, especially the hardcourt, you have to play very less, and play less tournaments and all this," Badosa told WTA Insider. "So for me (who) loves to compete, that was a very, very bad news."

Paula Badosa will next play at this week's Madrid Open, where she has been granted a Protected Ranking entry as she is placed outside the women's top 100 rankings.

She will face either a qualifier or a lucky loser in her opener; should she win that match, ninth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko awaits her in the second round.