Paula Badosa‘s fans were left worried after she suffered a recurrence of an old injury at the 2025 Merida Open. The Spaniard has released her first statement since retiring from the tournament in Mexico.
Badosa’s retirement came in the quarterfinal against Daria Saville. She looked to be cruising to victory against the Australian after winning the opening set 6-1, but then became hampered with the injury during the second set.
This year’s 2025 Australian Open semifinalist missed several months in 2023 with a severe back injury. She initially struggled in the opening half of 2024 after returning and recently opened up about coming close to quitting the sport.
That meant fans were particularly concerned by the scenes in Merida. Badosa retired because of a back problem, generating fears that she could have an injury of similar severity to what ruled her out for several months.
Thankfully, Badosa’s statement indicated the injury was not that severe. The 2024 Citi Open champion is already working to get back on the court, although she did not indicate when that might happen.
“Thanks so much for all the messages and support. I had to pull out of the match in Merida 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 before.”
Although Badosa’s injury history means she will undoubtedly be cautious and not get ahead of herself, that is an encouraging update. The Spaniard seems confident of returning soon despite not giving a precise date.
Badosa has until Friday or Saturday to be ready for the 2025 Indian Wells Open. As a seeded player, the 27-year-old receives a bye into the next round, meaning she does not need to play on Wednesday or Thursday, the tournament’s opening two days.
Hopefully, she is ready in time. Badosa proved at the Australian Open in January how dangerous her game is when it clicks during her run to a maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the season’s opening major event.
Badosa’s run in Melbourne included a quarterfinal victory against Coco Gauff. The American was considered among the pre-tournament favorites after strong form in the previous few months, but could not overcome an excellent performance from Badosa.
Aryna Sabalenka, a close friend of Badosa’s, was too good in the semifinal. However, the event was still positive and showed that the former world No. 2 can compete at the top at the most significant tournaments.
Badosa will hope not to join other players who withdrew from the Indian Wells Open. This includes the 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, who has not played a match in 2025 because of an injury.
Jannik Sinner was the first player to withdraw on the men’s side. He is suspended until May 4th after settling his high-profile case with the World Anti-Doping Agency. Ironically, his positive tests for clostebol occurred at the 2024 Indian Wells Open.
This year’s Indian Wells Open promises to be a great tournament and fans undoubtedly hope it lives up to expectations.
