Paula Badosa says reaching the Wimbledon round-of-16 is the “most special” second week she has made in a Grand Slam just because now she is dealing with a chronic back issue, which causes her to often play through pain and never know what to expect when she wakes up in the morning.
At this year’s Wimbledon, Badosa is playing her second Grand Slam since sharing in April that her back issue was diagnosed as a chronic thing and that she may not be able to stay for too long in pro tennis. And so far, it has been a great run for the 26-year-old Spaniard, who has had notable wins over 2023 French Open finalist Karolina, rising star Linda Fruhvirtova and world No. 12 Daria Kasatkina.
On Friday, Badosa’s back was put on a real test but also her mental strength – but the former world No. 2 successfully passed it after coming back from a 2-4 third-set deficit to claim a 7-6 (5) 4-6 6-4 win over Kasatkina and set up a round-of-16 meeting against Donna Vekic.
Later in her press conference, Badosa described it as a very “emotional victory” before opening up about how just a year earlier she retired from her Wimbledon second-round match and the fears of maybe not being able to continue her career.
“Last year I had to retire and then it took me about 10 months, I was…
