"We keep fighting" - Paula Badosa shares injury update after teary exit from Dubai Tennis Championships

Paula Badosa has battled a series of setbacks of late, from an abductor injury to a stress fracture. She was reduced to tears after being forced to retire from her Dubai Tennis Championships opener against Lulu Sun.

The Spaniard dropped the opening set 6-4 before deciding to pull the plug on the contest. It was the second time in three tournaments that she was forced to quit a match.

Badosa has since taken to social media to thank her fans for continuing to support her. She sent her gratitude to all those sending her positive messages in her post on X, written in Spanish.

Badosa added that recovery was a long drawn-out process, but assured her fans that she was committed to ensuring a speedy return to the tennis court.

"I want to thank all the people who have been sending me messages of support during this very difficult time for me." Paula Badosa wrote in a post on X. "It is being a long process, but what I am sure of is that I am not going to give up."

In a separate post on X, Badosa reaffirmed that tennis was her passion and that she would continue to fight to get back out competing at the earliest.

"Tennis is my life and my passion, I am going to give everything to enjoy it again soon. We continue fighting…" the Spaniard wrote in separate post.

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Paula Badosa sees an upswing in her ranking despite setbacks

Paula Badosa durinf her match at the 2024 Qatar TotalEnergies Open.

Paula Badosa’s world ranking went up five spots when the ladder was updated last Monday (February 19). She currently finds herself ranked at No. 74 with 962 points.

The Spaniard is set to rise another two spots despite her first-round exit at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Her appearance at the WTA 500 event saw her earn 10 points, which was enough to help her jump two spots.

Badosa has used her protected ranking to enter the draws in San Diego, Indian Wells and Miami. But the injury concerns have put her participation in those events in limbo. The event in San Diego is set to commence from next Monday (February 26).

Badosa last won consecutive matches at the Australian Open, where she had reached the third round. She had beaten the likes of Taylor Townsend and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova before going down to Amanda Anisimova.